


The Chosen One

by Jacrispea



Category: Far Cry 5
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Apocalypse, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Cunnilingus, Eventual Romance, Eventual Sex, Eventual Smut, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Jealousy, Kidnapping, Minor Character Death, Murder, Oral Sex, Original Character(s), Project at Eden's Gate, Rough Kissing, Rough Sex, Sex, Sexual Tension, Smut, Touch-Starved, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-31
Updated: 2019-08-15
Packaged: 2020-07-28 07:09:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 33
Words: 52,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20060035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jacrispea/pseuds/Jacrispea
Summary: This story is from the point of view of one of Jacob's Chosen. I thought it would be interesting to see someone from his side get romantically involved with him rather than the deputy (even though I love those stories!)Things start off as friends with benefits but will they become more?* AU with the deputy but not following the storyline of the game fully.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to everyone who supported me with my other fanfics! 
> 
> This story has mostly original characters - I wanted to tell the story from the cult's point of view and show that not all of them were evil, most were normal people. Let me know your thoughts! I always appreciate constructive criticism and suggestions! :)

"Jacob's coming here tonight I guess," Ben told you as you sat with everyone at dinner, scarfing down your meal. 

"Just a routine check?" Naomi asked from your side. She ripped at her chicken with her hands. 

"Guess so, he didn't give me any further details." 

You knew that was probably the jist of it; Jacob came to the chalet once a week or so to check on you guys and make sure the new recruits were being properly trained. While he did some training at the Veteran's Center, he normally sent the ones who passed their trials off to you and the other Chosen to train them properly. 

You had been one of his Chosen for close to six months now, excelling at everything you did. You had built up a friendship of sorts with Jacob and he trusted you, often bringing you along with him on missions. 

"He probably heard how you're all slacking off," you joked after you had finished your meal and finally rested your fork down on the now empty plate. "Also... I did dishes last night so it's someone else's turn." 

"Oliver will do em, won't ya buddy?" Ben said as he slapped his brother on the back. 

Both of the brothers had been with Jacob longer than you had. You guessed it was probably after their parents up and hightailed it out of here, leaving them behind as teenagers. They weren't really given a choice in the matter but from what you could tell, they seemed to be happy for the most part. Ben was always jovial and loud while his brother was on the quieter side, but still friendly. 

"Alright, well I'm going to go clear my head for a bit. I'll be back in time for our guest," you announced as you pushed back from the table and wandered into the chilly mountain air. You were happy to have your long coat with you and wrapped it around your body, brushing off the cold. 

As you made your way to the woods, you passed a couple recruits at the obstacle course and one running laps. Some of them took their training more serious than others. You nodded to them as you walked by. 

At the edge of the clearing was a narrow opening in the trees, barely visible unless you knew where to look. The brush was overgrown and in some spots, the grass tickled at your shins. You trudged through, pushing a couple low hanging branches from your path, knowing where each of them hung by now. You thoroughly enjoyed being out in nature, just breathing in the heavy scent of tree sap and moss. It was where you felt most alive. 

After a short walk, you finally came to the spot - your spot - and laid down in the familiar pillows of grass, stretching your arms and legs as if you were making snow angels. Everything about it comforted you. When you were here, there was no Project, no Resistance... just you and your thoughts. 

You weren't sure exactly when your thoughts quieted enough to lull you to sleep but when you came to, dusk had turned to night and the sky was littered with stars. You yawned, laying there for a minute; you weren't ready to get up just yet. 

"So this was more important than meeting with you boss, huh?" 

His voice startled you but you really shouldn't be surprised, Jacob could be deadly quiet if he wanted to me. You sat up, looking around the clearing until you saw him at the edge of the trees. You couldn't make out his features but the outline of his tall frame was unmistakable. 

"You weren't supposed to come til later I thought?" 

"It is later," he corrected you as he walked to you and took a seat at your side. He stretched out his long legs and let out a comfortable sigh. 

"Shit, I'm sorry." 

"No, no... I get it. Sleep comes first," he pushed himself back to lay in the grass and gave you a smirk as he watched you from the corner of his eye. 

You decided to lay back next to him, still feeling as groggy as you were. Most people around camp were nervous around Jacob and truthfully you had been at first too but now things were comfortable between you. 

"Alright, catch me up." 

"You didn't miss anything. I just wanted to check in," he explained as he stared at the sky. 

"Any progress on the Whitetails?" 

"Fuck, no. It's getting to be a real pain in my ass." 

"You need to let me help. I'm decent at tracking," you reasoned with him. You knew he was just going to say no like he always did. You weren't sure why but he seemed to keep you tucked away up here in the mountains, out of harm's way. 

"I need you here, we've been over this before." 

"Oh, c'mon... Wouldn't you want me hanging around the Centre with you?" 

"That would be just what I need, an annoying little pup following me around, asking questions," he scoffed. 

You laughed and turned to him. You always enjoyed annoying him. He was easy to get going. 

"How'd you find me?" 

"You don't cover your tracks well," he said simply, rolling to face you. "That's another reason why you're here. You'd be dead in a week if I let you out." 

"Fuck you, I've saved your ass at least a couple times," you pulled yourself up from the grass and grabbed your bow, heading for the path back to the chalet. 

"Aww, where are ya going?" he called after you. 

"I'm going to find someone else to annoy," you yelled back, hearing him chuckle behind you. 

\---

"Was he pissed?" Naomi asked you as you undressed for bed. She stared at you wide eyes from her twin bed which was a couple of feet away from yours. 

"No, he was fine. I still can't believe I feel asleep though... What did he say when he got here?

"He checked in with everyone but he asked where you were first. We didn't really know what to say," she told you, filling you in on the details. 

Naomi brushed out her black hair from her braid, letting it tumble down her back. She looked back up at you with her warm brown eyes which were now full of concern. 

"He looked for me first?" 

"Yep, probably because he knows you don't stay put," she laughed. "Or maybe he secretly wants you." 

"Oh yeah, I'm sure that's it... I annoy the shit out of him, I'm sure he was happy I was missing." 

You threw on a loose t-shirt and a pair of sleep shorts and pulled your blanket back from the bed. As you plunked yourself down on the mattress, you heard Naomi make a humming noise. You turned to see her grinning at you. 

"What's that look for?" you asked. 

"Just... if that's the only reason he was looking around for you, he wouldn't have tracked you down now would he? I think old Red wants to get all up in that," she teased as she circled her finger in the air towards you. 

"Oh my god..." you huffed at her as you went for the door. 

"Are you going to find him?" she called after you. 

You closed the door behind you and shook your head. What an imagination this girl had. 

You decided you would go out on one of the balconies and sit for awhile. After your nap earlier, you weren't really tired anyhow. The night air bit into your exposed skin the second you opened the outside door, making you regret your decision already but you figured once you sat down out of the wind, it probably wouldn't be so bad. 

You took a seat to the left of the door, a couple feet away. You chose to sit cross legged, huddling over your legs to shield them slightly. 

"I'm surprised you're not asleep again," Jacob called from down the balcony. He was sitting to the right of the door so you hadn't seen him when you came out. 

"Jesus, you scared the shit out of me!" 

"See what I mean? You'd be dead in a week," he snickered. 

You tried thinking of something smart to throw back at him but you knew he was right. You should be aware of your surroundings at all times. You decided to ignore his comment. After a couple minutes of silence, you glanced over to see him watching you. 

"What?" you asked, wondering what he was so amused over. 

"You're just so quiet for once," he said with a grin. "It's kinda nice." 

"Ass," you muttered. "What are you doing out here anyhow?" 

"Just enjoying the air. Can't sleep?" 

"No, I never really sleep well," you told him, pulling further into your legs. 

You rubbed the goosebumps from them as best you could. Jacob noticed and moved to the seat next to you. Before he sat, he took his army jacket off and wrapped it around you. 

"Thanks," you said with a smile. He smiled back before he sank down loudly into the chair next to you. You both leaned back and enjoyed the night in silence.


	2. Chapter 2

"I'll be sending another five for training this week," Jacob debriefed you and the other Chosen over breakfast. "Are we done with the last batch?" 

"Most of them are... two are lagging a bit," you told him. Jacob gave you a concerned look. "Just give me a couple days." 

"Hmm," he agreed with a nod. 

"I need two of you to come with me when I leave tomorrow. We have a potential lead on a group of Whitetails, we'll need to scope it out," Jacob told the group. You crossed your fingers under the table that he would pick you. You needed out of this damn place for a change. 

"Count me in," Naomi offered excitedly. She was just as bored as you. 

"Good," Jacob said before he nodded over to you. "You in, pup?" 

You tried to sound casual, "Definitely."

Naomi pinched at your leg under the table. You didn't look over at her but you knew she was grinning at you. Fuck, what a girl. 

Jacob told you both what time to get ready for and some things you'd need to pack. You'd be leaving in his truck in the morning. He grabbed his plate and disappeared from the room. 

"Shut up," you told Naomi, without looking at her. You shovelled your eggs into your mouth and tried to ignore the smug expression you knew she'd have on her face. 

"What's going on?" Ben asked, looking between you. 

"Nothing, she's just being a twat. Can you take over for me while I'm out?"

He agreed but kept looking back at Naomi for information. She didn't say anything but raised her eyebrows at you suggestively when she finally caught your attention. You rolled your eyes in return and left to attend to your training. 

\---

"Focus. Take your time and line up with the target. You...," you shouted as you pointed at one of the recruits. "Keep your arms tight. Ok... again." 

The sound of AR-C's firing cracked through the air. The hunters dropped their guns instinctively, knowing you'd want to inspect the targets. You had convinced Jacob when you took the position to use targets rather than... people. After you insisted, he gave in. You imagined it was because he was tired of listening to you. 

You paced in front of the targets, inspecting them. Most of the hunters were doing better as the days went by but like you had told Jacob, two just weren't cutting it. You were determined to break them in. 

"Again," you told them as you moved to the side. They stopped after firing and let you look over the targets from the sidelines. "New targets... I need five head shots from all of you before we can move on." 

You took your spot behind them again, watching and correcting when needed. All but one got the shots easily. 

"Again. We are a pack. We work together. Every single one of you needs to do this," you shouted over the sound of gunfire. 

The poor guy who was struggling was getting more anxious by the moment. While most of the Chosen would rather yell at him, you knew that never worked. 

"Here, let me help you with your stance," you offered as you stood behind him and parted his legs gently with your boot and brought his arms up a bit further than he was lifting them. "You need to hold the gun steady but not be so tense okay? Relax." 

When he pulled the trigger this time, the bullet connected. You gave him a bit of praise before telling him he still owed you four more. It took a few more shots than four but he managed to pull them out. 

"Excellent. Get some water and come back with your bows." 

You watched as they placed their guns on the weapon racks and headed inside for a quick break. Jacob would probably kill you if he knew you were being so soft on them. You searched the property, checking on what the others were doing. Ben and Oliver were running the obstacle course with some recruits and Naomi was on one of the sniper perches, fixing the zipline. Behind you, Jacob stood with a smirk on his face again, arms crossed as always. You nodded to him, hoping he hadn't seen your training but when he headed your way, you knew he had. 

"You're too easy on them," he scolded as he approached. 

"It got the job done, didn't it?" 

Jacob grunted. "They're not here to make friends. You need to stay focused."

"I am focused. And you've never had a problem with one of the people who came out of here so you can't say too much on my methods." When Jacob remained silent, you continued. "You know I'm one of your best trainers..." 

He didn't say anything but his expression had softened a bit. "I'll help you."

"Oh, no, no. They'll never be able to concentrate, they're terrified of you," you told him. "I don't blame them, you're pretty scary." 

You turned back to the range, looking back once over your shoulder to see Jacob grinning at you with one of the corners of his mouth slightly higher than the other. You hated when he did that; it always set your pulse racing. 

\--- 

"Morning," Jacob greeted you and Naomi when you neared the truck. It was 6:30 in the morning but he looked wide awake. Meanwhile, you two looked dead on your feet. 

"And you don't even provide coffee? What kind of escort is this?" you joked as he grabbed your bag from you and tucked it behind his seat. 

"Just get in, pup." 

You weren't sure exactly when he started calling you that but he had explained it was because you were like an annoying little puppy, defiant and always getting into trouble. You had to admit, it had kind of grown on you. 

"You go ahead, I like having a window," Naomi told you as she basically pushed you into the truck. 

You turned and gave her a look which was only met with her winking at you. You climbed up next to Jacob, scooting in to give her some room. When she was finally in, she asked you to move over a bit more because you couldn't get the door closed. You knew full well she was lying but you didn't think it was appropriate to argue in front of Jacob. You moved in a couple of inches until your arm was resting against his. He smiled slightly but kept his eyes forward. 

"We're all set," Naomi told Jacob, giving him the okay to head for the Veteran's Center. You knew he would take you there to debrief you and go over some maps before you headed out to scout the area. 

It's wasn't a terribly long drive but Naomi's constant chatter was distracting. You could tell Jacob was getting annoyed by the way he tapped his fingers on the steering wheel every so often. You had spent a lot of time with him over the past six months and had picked up on a lot of his mannerisms. Naomi on the other hand, was clueless. She chatted on about her progress with the new planes and how her lessons were going well. She told Jacob about every sighting she had of a wolf in the area, suggesting he may want to set up another beacon and she asked him about his personal life, which made you cringe. He of course, didn't answer a lot of her questions but she didn't seem fazed. 

"Oh, we're here," she pointed out as you drove through the open gates and parked. 

Jacob was the first out of the truck, you knew he probably needed some space. 

"You're welcome by the way," Naomi said before she opened the door, causing you to roll your eyes again. There had been a lot of that from you lately. 

She was such a chatty and happy person that it was almost surprising that she was one of the Chosen. Truthfully most of Jacob's people were all grouchy or pissed off, either because they were forced into it or because they had an axe to grind with someone and decided that joining this war was the best way to cure it. Naomi had joined because of Joseph; she was always a religious spirit and when Joseph came to town, she found her calling. She believed in his word with all her heart and even though she was not a violent person by nature, she did what was needed because she believed it was "God's Plan". Jacob might not have liked her chattyness but he could appreciate her skill with a bow and her strategic mind. Her unwavering faith in the Project didn't hurt either. 

When you were inside, you caught up with Jacob in the normal room he used for meetings. There was a map spread out across the desk with a couple red circles. 

"There and there," Jacob said pointing to the map, "There have been a couple sightings in these areas, more than once. Each of you will take an area and scope it out, no one is to be killed, understand?" 

"We're just following to see if they go to the bunker..." Naomi said at your side. 

"Exactly. If you see anything worth while, radio back to base. I'll be here." 

Naomi nodded and headed for the door after she told you she's take the spot closest to the Center. You turned to follow behind but Jacob reached for your arm. 

"You'll need a drive, that's too far on foot," he explained. "I'll take you." 

You agreed and headed outside, hopping back to the same passenger seat. Naomi was already at the edge of the property with her compound bow on her back, making kissy lips at you from the trees.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this story is a bit of a slow burn but the fluff and smut is on its way! I promise!

The truck finally pulled over on the side of the road. You estimated you were a mile or so away from the spot on the map. 

"K, thanks. I'll radio if I see anything," you told Jacob as you jumped out of the truck. 

"I'm coming with," Jacob told you as he killed the engine and stepped out to join you. 

"I thought you were staying back?" 

"I didn't want Naomi thinking I'm playing favorites. She won't find anything where I sent her. We're going to survey the right site." 

"That's sneaky, Red," you gasped. You wondered why he had even brought her along in the first place. 

Jacob motioned for you to follow him and you both jogged through the trees, easily avoiding the branches and rocks at the forest floor. You were both skilled in the woods and it came as second nature. When you arrived at the spot, you pulled out your binoculars and perched on the steep cliffs above where Jacob had pointed. Sweeping the area, you shook your head to him. You both sat back, knowing it might take awhile before you spotted anything. 

You turned to Jacob and gave him a nudge, causing him to stare down at your arm questioning. He always reacted weirdly if anyone touched him, no matter how innocent. 

"I am though, right?" you asked him, smiling.

"Hmm?" 

"Your favorite," you clarified. You knew he would brush it off but you always liked to tease. 

"Well don't go telling everyone," he answered back, kicking at your foot.

"Knew it. Am I staying with you tonight? At the Center I mean..." you added quickly. 

Jacob held a hand up to you as he quickly leaned over, watching the forest below. When he was convinced he hadn't seen anything worth while, he sat back next you you. 

"Yeah, I may need you for a few days." 

"Please tell me you won't send poor Naomi out to search that whole time..." 

"No, I'll tell her we spotted something and she's free to leave." He apparently had it all figured out. 

You nodded as you both quickly became absorbed in the forest again, sweeping constantly for any movement. You estimated an hour had gone by before Jacob spoke again. 

"Do you enjoy training the recruits?" he asked out of nowhere. 

You thought about that for a minute before answering, "Yeah, most of the time. Some of them give me a hard time and that's never fun but it's nice to watch their progress." 

"You're good at it," he said before holding up a finger. "Don't let that go to your head." 

"Too late. All these compliments and then I find out I'm your favorite," you emphasized the last word. "My ego is inflating quickly over here." 

"You're something else, you know that? Tell me, why are you not afraid of me? Most people wouldn't have the balls to say half of what you do." 

You wanted to make another joke about you being his favorite and knowing he'd never off you because of it but decided to stop being the little shit you normally were. You could tell Jacob wanted an honest answer. 

"I have no reason to be afraid of you. You've never treated me any other way but fair and you took me in when I had absolutely nothing. I owe you my life. You're honestly the only person whose ever seen any potential in me, you know?" 

"You don't owe me anything," he said gently.

"And besides, we're besties remember? You're not going to kill me before I give you your matching friendship bracelet are you?" you asked, deciding you needed to steer away from the path you were headed. You were an avoider and avoiders didn't talk about their problems. 

"Mine better match my jacket," he winked at you. You laughed at him, not used to him joking back like that. 

Everytime you spent time together, you seemed to get a little closer. You appreciated it in one way but knew you had to watch yourself too. You found yourself getting butterflies when you saw him after a long period away and picked up his calls a little too eagerly at times. You knew you couldn't allow yourself to have feelings for him, not just because he was your boss but because you knew he didn't think of you that way and were determined not to get hurt. 

"Why aren't you sleeping?" he asked, surprising you again. You had been lost in your thoughts. 

"Not sleeping?" 

"You said the other night that you don't sleep well," he clarified. 

"Oh, I'm not sure. My mind just races and I can never seem to calm it." 

"I can understand that." 

You nodded. You were sure he had the same problem after everything he had been through in his life. He never spoke about it but there were always people whispering about him. You knew for a fact that the Jacob Seed you knew now was not the same one that went to the Gulf War. You wondered what he was like before. 

"And your brother won't allow alcohol so there goes my sleeping pill," you continued. 

Jacob smiled at you but remained silent. 

\--- 

It had been hours and neither of you had seen anything. You had taken turns with the binoculars while the other stretched their legs, counted the trees in the general area, eaten more than your share of beef jerky and were now both lazily stretched out, half paying attention to your task. 

"Okay, but if you had to choose..." you urged Jacob to answer. "The name of the game is 'Would You Rather' after all."

"For fuck's sake.. this is ridiculous. I guess I'd pick the feet," he answered, scrunching his face up a bit. 

"Over someone's belly button?" 

"Yes. Okay, enough of this." 

"No, no.. one more. We have time to kill and I'm fucking bored," you pleaded. He groaned but didn't protest again. "Your turn to ask." 

"I'm terrible at this," he said as you nodded in agreement. He thought for a minute. "Alright, which of your roommates would you rather fuck?" 

"Oh, no... I'm not answering that. Pick another one." 

"No, no, no. You have to answer, pup. You owe me that much." 

You threw your head back dramatically and let out a long sigh. "Ughhh... I guess, Oliver" 

"Really?" he asked, giving you a strange look. 

"Don't look at me like that. I didn't say I wanted to. He's just the quietest." 

"You never shut up though..." 

"Yes, I do. That's probably why you bring me along. I let you enjoy your quiet brooding time," you reasoned with him. 

Jacob didn't say anything as he pushed to his feet and picked up your backpack. He looked down at you, waiting for you to stand. It was getting dark so you figured he was calling it quits for the day. 

When you got to the truck, Jacob opened your door for you which you thought was severely out of character for him but thanked him anyway without a snark remark. The drive back to the Center was a quiet one but you enjoyed it; it was a comfortable silence. Every so often, you watched him out of your peripheral vision, enjoying the smile that was on his face.


	4. Chapter 4

"I didn't see a thing," Naomi said sadly when you and Jacob finally made it back to the Center. She watched you drive in with the truck but had assumed he had just gone to pick you up. 

"Pup saw one but they were going to the main road. I need you to watch again tomorrow to see if they return," Jacob said, nodding to you. 

"Will do." 

Jacob told you he was taking off but to be ready for the same time tomorrow. You watched as he left, enjoying the view. 

"What do you want to do for the rest of the night?" Naomi asked when you turned your attention back to her. 

"I brought a deck of cards if you want to play poker or something?" 

"Or we could go scout again. I feel like they'd be moving at night rather than daylight, they're not stupid."

"True but the site is too far to get to on foot. Jacob has the keys to the truck," you reasoned with her. 

"I saw Finn around here earlier. He'll give us a vehicle. I'll grab him and you grab the map. Be outside in five," she said as she jogged down the hall before you could protest. 

You sighed and headed for the meeting room to grab the map. You knew she'd be successful in getting the keys. Finn was one of your fellow Chosen that lived at the Center and he always had his eye on Naomi. 

When you got outside, Naomi was already outside in a white truck. You hopped in and she took off before you could even close your door. 

"Eager much?" you laughed as she pushed a protein bar at you. Hers was already hanging out if her mouth. 

"We're going to find them, I just have a feeling," she said between bites. "Jacob will be so happy with us." 

The idea of bringing in Eli finally, presenting him to Jacob made you excited. You knew he would be pleased. You enjoyed a happy Jacob Seed. 

"There," you pointed to the side of the road, indicating the same spot Jacob had parked earlier. "We'll go on foot from here." 

"Is this where Jacob dropped you off?" 

You hated lying to your friend but had no choice. Jacob has forced you to. "Yep, close by." 

You pushed out of the truck, grabbing your bow and signaling for Naomi to follow you. It was more difficult to navigate at night and at one point, you worried you had made a wrong turn. When you saw the jagged rocks you had hidden on top of earlier, you knew you were at the right spot. 

You sat on your knees and lowered a hand to Naomi, signaling her to crouch. She did as you asked and pulled out her binoculars, sweeping the area. You looked at her hopefully but she shook her head. 

"Did you and Red do any parking on your way here?" she asked with a nudge. She knew it was embarassing you and you knew it would be awhile before she dropped it. You gave her a look. "Oh c'mon. I'm joking but in all seriousness, if he wanted to, would you?" 

"He's my boss," you said simply, dismissing her. "I'm starting to think you may be the one who has the hots for him." 

"Not my type... too vulgar. I'm saving myself for The Father." 

"Oh God..." You shook your head as she smiled at you. "Wait..."

You looked below to see three people making their way slowly through the trees. It was hard to make them out in the dark but you could tell they had bows on their backs. The one in the front held a rifle in front of them, sweeping the area. There was no doubt that they weren't part of the Project. Naomi leaned over the rocks to see what you were looking at. When she caught sight of them, her smile disappeared and her expression grew serious. 

She swept the eyes briefly before pointing out an opening in the trees to the left, pointing her hand to let you know she'd go that way. You nodded and took off silently in the other direction. Once you were down the hill, the terrain was easier to navigate. You searched for Naomi but didn't see her. 

Ahead, the Whitetails continued through the trees. The man in the back had pulled out a handgun, sweeping the area at the rear. You prayed they hadn't heard you but pulled your bow out just in case. The Project had developed bliss arrows which would allow you to bring them in alive for questioning. Jacob preferred that. 

You followed behind for quite awhile, making a mental note of the approximate distance from the spot Jacob had circled on the map and scanning for any landmarks that may prove to be helpful. When they came into an area that was less dense than the forest you had emerged from, you hung back, knowing you may be spotted in the moonlight. You watched them closely before something else caught you eye; it was Naomi, crouched to the left just behind the treeline. You motioned your hand for her to retreat back to safety but her eyes were on the target. You held your breath, hoping they wouldn't notice her but when you shifted your vision back to the three targets, the one in the back was moving slower. He wasn't looking directly at her but you could see him watching something out of the corner of his eye. You knew he had spotted her. 

You moved quickly, retracing your steps back about 20 feet and then looped around to head towards Naomi. You cursed under your breath as you ran as quickly as you could while still being silent. When you got close enough to see her, you waved your hands, hoping she may see you out of her peripheral vision and stop moving but she didn't. You kept going until a gunshot pierced the silence, stopping you in place. Naomi fell back a second later, holding her shoulder. 

You watched in horror as the Whitetails ran to where she laid, groaning on the ground. You knew you had to move fast. Quickly, you brought the bow to your cheek and let the first arrow fly, hitting the man who was at the rear in the shoulder. He dropped immediately. The other two stopped and searched the trees, frozen in place. You had the second arrow in the air before they were able to see you, bringing another to the ground. 

By this time, the last Whitetail had spotted you and had their gun out before you could pull another arrow from your quiver. You threw yourself to the ground quickly and rolled into the nearby brush. Footsteps rushed through the trees towards you as you pressed yourself down behind a bush, holding your breath. You watched as the woman came within feet of you, scanning the area with her gun held high. You reached for your quiver but found it empty; the contents must have fallen when you had rolled. Well, Jacob would just have to accept that you couldn't capture this one, you thought as you reached to your side for your gun. Pulling it quickly from its holster on your thigh, you shot through her skull with the first bullet. Her body collapsed in front of you. You knew she wouldn't have even known what hit her. 

Killing people was never something you enjoyed but it had gotten easier the more you did it. You just had to keep telling yourself you were at war. Whether or not you had picked the right side was debatable but like you had told Jacob, if he hadn't taken you in a couple years back, you'd be homeless right now and fighting for survival if not dead. You owed him this much. 

Sighing, you watched the woman's lifeless eyes for a minute before you remembered Naomi. You were on your feet in a second, searching the underbrush for where she had landed. 

"Here," she groaned. 

"Fuck, are you okay?" you asked her as you reached her and bent down, pulling her hand from the wound to watch the blood spurt. She was losing blood quickly, you knew you had to get her back to he Center immediately. 

You bent down and pulled her up as she winced. Her eyes started to flutter and you knew she was starting to lose consciousness. Looking behind you, you debated whether you could grab one of the Whitetails too to bring back with you but you knew it wasn't possible. As hard as it was to leave them, you made your way to the truck, supporting Naomi the whole time. 

"Stay with me," you told her when you finally got her in the truck. She had her head on the back of the seat with her eyes closed, moaning every so often. "Naomi!" 

When she finally opened her eyes again, you closed the door and hopped in, using the keys you had fished out of her pocket. You sped for the Center as quickly as you could, narrowly missing a herd of deer that were crossing the bridge ahead of you. 

After the fastest drive back, you pulled up front and killed the ignition quickly, yelling for help as you opened your door and made your way to the passenger side of the truck. Two of the Chosen, including Finn, raced outside along with Jacob. You were surprised to see him. 

"She's been shot," you explained as one of the hunters you didn't recognize carried her from the truck and inside. "I felt the exit wound but she's lost a lot of blood." 

"Get her to the infirmary," Jacob said coldly as he turned to you and held a hand out, preventing you from following. "No, you need to explain yourself." 

"I need to go with her," you told him, pushing against his arm. He held it firmly against your ribs. 

"She's going to be alright, we both know that. You, on the other hand... I'm not so sure." 

"Jacob, please... I'm not in the mood for a lecture. Besides, there are two Whitetails with bliss arrows in them that I could be getting." 

"Show me where," he said as he headed to the truck, not waiting for you to argue with him. You sighed but followed behind.


	5. Chapter 5

"We have some time, now explain what happened," Jacob ordered you as he drove quickly through the hills. 

"We fucked up, there's nothing else to say." 

"I brought you back to the Center to stay put. Why were you out hunting again?" he asked calmly. Jacob always had a quiet calm about him but you knew he was royally pissed. 

"We just thought they may make a move at night. We wanted to bring them in for you but then... fuck, if she was just a foot further into the trees," you told him, frustrated that you had to relive your mistake. 

"She wasn't hidden?" he asked, surprised.

"We split up but the trees thinned out a bit at one point. I know she thought she was hidden but I could see her from my position. I tried to get to her in time..." 

Jacob turned his attention from the road and watched you face for a second. His expression softened slightly, knowing you were blaming yourself for something that was out of your control. 

"How many were there?" 

"Three," you told him. "One's dead. The other two are out but I don't know if we'll get back in time." 

Jacob nodded and continued to the spot you had parked the last few times you had made it to the area. 

"No, we need to go down the road a bit. If we have to get there by foot, they may wake up before we reach them." 

"And if their friends have shown up? You're being careless," he corrected you. "We go on foot." 

You agreed, knowing your emotions were clouding your judgement. Jacob had the most strategic mind you knew, he was a man of great intelect and you knew he was always two steps ahead of you. You decided it was best to follow his lead. 

When you finally made it to the rocks, you tried retracing your steps, recognizing a few trees and a log at one point. You knew you were on the right path. When you got close to the clearing, you put a hand on Jacob's chest, letting him know you should scan the area first. He stopped at your signal but you didn't drop your hand, enjoying the warmth of him against your fingers. You shook yourself out of your daze and looked around but all you saw was the dead Whitetail over to the left. The other two bodies were gone. 

"They're gone," you told Jacob, pointing to where you had left them. 

"Must have had some company nearby. The Bliss wouldn't have worn off already," he weighed in. "Well, shit..." 

"What do we do now?" 

"Head back and regroup. We'll come out again tomorrow." 

\---

When you got back, you were relieved to find Naomi stitched up and awake. Someone had administered some pain killers so she was a little dopey but coherent. 

"I'm so sorry, I messed everything up," she apologized when you sat down next to her on her gurney. 

"No you didn't, it's not a big deal. The bodies were gone when Jacob and I went back so that's actually a good thing. Someone must have been nearby to recover them so we're getting close," you reassured her, trying to show her the positive to the situation. 

"He's pissed, isn't he?" 

You knew she was referring to Jacob. Part of Naomi had always been a little weary of him. You shook your head, "No, he was fine. Really." 

She gave you a sceptical look but you didn't offer anything else. You knew he was angry, at both of you probably but you wouldn't give her anything more to worry about. 

"I'm going to head to bed but I'll be back tomorrow to check on you. Need anything before I go?" 

"No, I'm good," she told you. You patted her knee and stood to take your leave. " But hey... Thank you. For saving my life and everything." 

"Don't mention it," you told her with a smile. She blew you a kiss as you headed outside into the hall and towards the wing that housed the habitants of the Center. 

Most of the recruits were in the first part of the hall, then Jacob's Chosen and then the big boss himself. Your room was just across the hall from his. It was small and scarcely furnished but it was cozy and the bed was comfortable. 

When you got inside, you undressed for bed, throwing on a tank top and some loose pajama bottoms. You made your way to the bathroom to brush out your hair and brush your teeth and then plunked down on the bed, pulling out one of the books you had brought with you. It was 11:00 so it was still too early for you to get to sleep. 

You read through quite a few chapters before you finally started to feel drowsy, finally deciding to pull yourself up to turn off the light and close the door that you had forgotten about. As you set the book on your nightstand, you heard a light knock on the doorframe. 

"What are you still doing up?" Jacob asked as he brought his hand back to cross his arms. His feet her parted slightly in that same confident pose he always chose, the one you loved so much. 

"I've been waiting for you to tuck me in," you told him with an innocent smile. 

He rolled his eyes but let his arms drop and walked over to your bed. You weren't sure what he was doing until he grabbed the blanket at your feet and instructed you to lift your legs so he could pull it back. 

"Lay back," he instructed as he brought the blanket up over your chest and leaned down to kiss the top of your head. 

You watched in shock as he turned to leave the room, flicking the light switch and muttering something about you being a pain in his ass. You smiled at that, suspecting he actually enjoyed it. 

\--- 

The next day, Jacob met you downstairs early as he had instructed you. After he made some snide remark about you always being late, you both hopped in the truck and headed out. 

"How'd you sleep?" you asked him.

"Alright, you?" 

"I would have slept better if you had read me a bedtime story too." 

"Behave today and maybe I will," he told you with a chuckle. "But seriously... Behave." 

"I always behave," you protested but he raised an accusing eyebrow at you. "Well, except for yesterday." 

"And that time with the helicopter..." 

"Well, yes but..." 

"And the time you thought you could capture those wolves on your own..." 

"Okay, there was that time too..." 

"And the time you broke all my satellites," he continued. You knew he was just going to keep going. You realized you might have a problem listening to authority figures. 

"It wasn't all of your satellites, it was two. I blame you though... You're getting soft in your old age. You never discipline me."

"Oooh... Okay then. I'll remember that," he told you. You knew he never would even though you knew he had with the other hunters in the past. 

"We're here, pay attention," you pointed out as he almost drove by the spot you normally parked. 

"We're moving to the opposite end. I don't want them tracking us," he said simply. That made sense. 

When he finally pulled in and you had made your way back to your normal lookout, you smiled back at Jacob who was sitting back letting you scan the area. 

"What?" he asked when he noticed the goofy grin on your face. 

"Thanks for bringing me along. I've been getting bored at the Chalet." 

"I know," he said as he flashed you a quick smile back. 

You turned your attention back to the woods, knowing he would want you to shut up now. 

\--- 

After hours of waiting, the trail came back cold. Both of you were tired and sore from the lack of movement. When Jacob suggested you head back early and send out another scout for awhile, you happily agreed. 

"What are you up to?" Jacob asked when you arrived back at the Centre. 

"I'm going to check on Naomi for a bit and then probably head upstairs to my room I guess." 

He nodded and turned without another word, walking in the opposite direction. 

Naomi was doing much better today and though she was sore, you knew she would recover fully. She told you she planned to stay for another day and then head back home to rest up. You agreed that that was for the best. 

After you spent a couple hours with her, you grabbed a quick bite to eat and then headed upstairs to your room. It was just after 6:00 so you had plenty of time to kill. You stood, debating what you should do to pass the time. 

"Looking for something?" Jacob said from the door, startling you again. 

"Oh my fuck, do you just wait until I'm in my room to scare me?" 

"I have a lead on a couple resistance members scoping out the Elk Jaw. They have a camp set up about a mile away. Want to give me some back up?

"Love to," you said, happy to get out of your room. 

He smiled down at you as you both walked down the hall together. Where he would normally walk briskly ahead, leading the way, tonight he walked at your pace. You wondered if that was a conscious decision.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This whole story is based off a one shot I did called "In My Truck". I liked it so much that I had to write a story around it. So if you've read that one already, this chapter is basically it (with a couple minor tweaks)... My apologies on the repetition! ❤️

Jacob pulled off the road and tucked the truck behind a couple tall pines. He nodded for the door, signaling for you to get out. After you both quietly closed the doors behind you, he ran silently through the trees with you hot on his heels. He never had to tell you a plan, you could just read him well enough to follow along.

"There," Jacob whispered when you were at the top of the hill, covered by darkness and also the thick underbrush of the forest.

You looked down his arm to a small camp with 4 people. Their camp was littered with weapons - definitely Resistance. Taking your bow off your back, you pulled two arrows out and signaled for Jacob to take the other two people. He had his rifle already lined up for the shot. Before you pulled the bow string to your ear, you held out five fingers, signaling the countdown. Quickly, you lined up your sights and counted down, releasing the string on zero. The man who was sitting furthest on the left and the woman on the right both dropped instantaneously. Your next arrow was out and flying before the rest of the group could stand. Jacob easily did the same with his gun.

You both knelt motionless for a moment, ensuring no one else would come out of the trees. When you were convinced the coast was clear, Jacob raided their supplies while you kept watch. That was easier than you thought it would be. Truthfully, as good a shot as Jacob was, he could have probably taken them all himself.

"Good job," he finally said to you when you arrived back at the truck. He had thrown the guns he had scavenged into the bed of the truck and was now sitting next to you.

"Piece of cake. Thanks for bringing me along, I was starting to get bored."

"Well, you're welcome to come along with me whenever you want," he suggested.

You weren't sure what to say so you just turned and smiled warmly back at him. You noticed an unusual look on his face, one you had never seen before.

"Can I ask you something?" he asked, waiting until you nodded. "Do you believe in everything Joseph preaches?"

"Is this a trick question? I have a feeling you're going to send me down to John if I say no."

Jacob laughed but shook his head. "John would like you too much, I'd never get you back."

"Ah, but you have other Chosen. I'm sure you wouldn't miss me much. But, I guess to answer your question... I don't really. You know that's not why I joined," you offered as he nodded. "Why do you ask?"

"I just think people obsess over all these tiny things that we're not supposed to do when most of them are human nature. People are prideful and vain... and everyone fucks. If we weren't supposed to, it shouldn't feel so good," Jacob said, borderline rambling. He was always a bit more chatty after a successful mission. 

"Exactly. That's the biggest load of bullshit for me... Am I supposed to just marry some asshole so I can get a piece without going to hell? I mean... It's not like I'm getting any now either but you know what I'm getting at."

Jacob's turned his full attention to you. You watched as the corner of his mouth lifted a bit.

"What?" you asked, laughing. "Did I say something stupid? Or shit... Were you planning on marrying some asshole? I didn't mean to throw an insult."

"It's just hard for me to believe you're not sleeping with someone... You're one of the only females there, I'm sure you could have any of them."

"Well, I don't want any of them. They're either like brothers to me or they're recruits and they're scared of me. I might just switch teams, maybe you could share some of yours."

"Cause I'm swimming in pussy..." Jacob chuckled. When he saw the scepticism on your face, he continued. "The only girls I have around me are either in cages or with the Resistance. The hunters want a relationship when I just want to get my dick wet, so it's not exactly an ideal situation."

"You wouldn't want a relationship? Why?" 

"Well, not with them. They'd submit too quickly. I need a woman who will give me a hard time every now and then. I need someone strong." 

"You've got to find a friend with benefits," you told him. Maybe that's why he didn't sleep half the time... The poor guy just needed some relief.

"You offering?" he asked as he raised his eyebrows at you. His mouth was still turned up in the sexiest smile. You forced yourself to stop staring.

"Yeah, I'm sure that's what you want..."

"How do you know it isn't?" he asked. "Do you know how many times I've had you in this truck and just thought about fucking you up against the steering wheel the whole time?"

You turned back to him quickly, searching his face for sarcasm but you knew he was being completely serious with the hungry look he was giving you. You squeezed your thighs together slightly as you replayed his words back through your head. You couldn't believe how casually he had said it and you definitely couldn't believe you were just going to go along with it 

"Is that where you want me?" you asked him quietly.

He nodded, grabbing your hand and pulling you over to him. You swung one leg over his lap, straddling him. His face was inches from yours. You reached down and ran your hands over his chest.

"Do you know how many times I wondered what was under that shirt?" you asked him back playfully as he watched your mouth.

"Find out," Jacob said simply.

You reached for the lapel of his jacket and opened it, pulling his sleeves down his arms and letting it rest behind him. You took a second before you grabbed the hem of his t-shirt and pulled it up slowly, reveling in every inch of skin you exposed. Your breath caught in your throat while your eyes traveled the muscles of his chest and shoulders. He grinned at your reaction before pulling at your shirt and removing it quickly. His hands were behind you in a seconds undoing your bra and throwing it on the seat next to you.

"Fuck," he whispered as he stared at your breasts. "You have the most perfect tits I've ever seen."

"Stop," you said, blushing.

Before you could say anything else, his lips were on yours. You were surprised by how gently he kissed you. As you kissed him back, you felt his hands reach down and unbutton your pants, pulling them and your panties down in one swift motion.

"Well, now I'm curious if your cock is as perfect as the rest of you," you said against his lips. His hands were busily kneading every inch of you.

"It's my best feature," he said as he brought his tongue away from yours and gave you a wink.

He undid his fly and shimmied out of his jeans, leaving them around his boots. You sat back slightly, trying to get a good look but the steering wheel restricted your view. Before you could suggest moving back in the seat, Jacob had found your clit and was now circling it with his thumb. You moaned softly into his neck, grabbing at his shoulders.

"Faster?" he asked when he finally brought his lips away from your neck.

All you could do was nod back, letting out another moan as he quickened his pace. His lips were back on yours in a second, parting yours again with his tongue. You kissed him back roughly, trying to suppress the orgasm you knew was going to hit you any second.

"Don't resist it," he told you when he realized you had stiffened up against him. "It'll be easier if you cum first."

After a minute of him rubbing at you at a frantic pace, you felt yourself come apart against his hand. You pushed your face back between his neck and shoulder and moaned his name against his skin as he slowed his pace, allowing you to relax. You wondered what he meant by his last statement but when he finally grabbed your hips and lowered you down on his cock, you got your answer.

You felt yourself stretch widely around him, unsure if you'd be able to take him if he hadn't gotten you there already. Luckily, he let you set the pace and waited patiently as you lowered inch by inch, wondering when you'd hit the base of his shaft.

"Oh my fuck," you murmured into his ear as you let you teeth sink into his earlobe. "That's perfect."

"Fits you well," he said, smiling against your cheek. "I'll let you ease into it this time but next time you won't be so lucky."

You leaned back as much as you could and peered down at his face with the huge smile he had plastered on it. You had never seen him smile like that before.

"You don't need to be gentle with me, Jake" you told him, regretting using a nickname. You weren't sure if you guys were on that page yet.

"You sure?" he asked. You nodded. "Up."

Jacob eased you back off his cock and pushed you back across the passenger seat before he settled between your thighs. He pulled your legs around him, positioning himself and then slamming his cock into you without warning. You gasped loudly at the mix of pleasure and pain you felt. This time, Jacob didn't stop to check on you or give you time to adjust; he pushed every inch deep inside of you before pulling out fully and then thrusting back just as hard. You gripped his back, digging in your nails at every thrust. A slew of whimpers and moans escaped your lips and mixed with his.

"You're fucking perfect," he said into your ear between heavy breaths. "Fuck..."

Suddenly, you felt Jacob's body spasm against yours and felt the warmth of his cum push inside of you and down your thighs. He laid still for a minute, kissing you over and over. You reached up and brushed his hair back and rested your hand on the back of his neck. Every bit of you was satisfied in a way it hadn't felt in a long time.

"You okay?" he asked as he pushed up and took his seat back at the steering wheel, pulling his pants back up. You nodded, collecting your own clothes.

"You have no idea how badly I needed that."

"Well, now you won't have to wait so long for the next time," he told you, starting the truck up and heading for home.


	7. Chapter 7

"Night pup," Jacob said as you both made it to the hall outside your rooms. 

"Night Jake. Oh, hey.." you stopped him.

"Yeah?" 

"Am I still your favorite?" you asked with a smirk. 

"Fuck, if you weren't before you definitely are now," he answered. 

You smiled and closed the door behind you, leaning against it. You tried your best to calm down but you couldn't make your smile disappear. You knew this was probably a bad idea but you were putty in his hands. And what was the harm in getting laid every once in awhile? 

You undressed quickly and put your pajamas on before settling in to read a bit. After you had reread the same paragraph at least a half dozen times, you knew you weren't going to be able to concentrate. You put your book down and laid back in bed, letting your thoughts wander. You replayed the events of tonight, over and over, dissecting every minute of it. 

So many questions: did he bring up the whole religion thing just for the sake of sleeping with you, like some weird pick up line? Is that why he asked you along with him tonight? And he said he had thoughts of fucking you for awhile now, so why hadn't he done anything about it earlier? 

"Uggghh," you groaned into your pillow.

You knew you wouldn't be able to sleep this early so you decided to take a stroll through the Center and maybe outside. You threw on your boots and headed down the hall. Jacob's door was open you noticed but you didn't look in. You didn't want him thinking you were checking up on him or that now you were going to suddenly become a stage five clinger. 

"Where ya going?" he called after you from inside his room. 

You turned around and peeked back in at him. He was sitting at the table in the corner of his room, flipping through some papers. 

"Just for a walk. I'm bored as shit," you told him. 

Jacob grinned at you as he out the papers back down. "You look some cute with those boots and pajamas." 

You looked down at them and gave a shrug. "Fashion isn't my strong suit." 

"I'd say. You want a game of cards?" 

You thought about that for a minute. There was a very large part of you that was telling you to say no in an attempt to make him desperate to see you next but the other part told you to say yes because Jacob didn't socialize with his people normally and you really could use the company. 

"Maybe when I get back?" you decided to compromise with your battling inner halves. 

"Turning me down so soon?" he asked as he held his chest mockingly. 

"I'll see you later," you said, smiling devilishly and walking out of his doorway. 

A huge smile became plastered on your face. He did say he wanted someone who wouldn't submit easily... so you'd do just that. 

\--- 

Outside, the night was a bit warmer than it had been the past week luckily; you hadn't thought to bring a jacket. You wandered around the grounds a bit, stopping to talk to a couple people you recognized and then out to the road, walking around until you realized you should probably have some sort of weapon on you. Feeling stupid, you decided to turn back and see if you could dig up something to eat. You were absolutely starved for some reason. The mess hall was empty so there was no one to stop you from raiding the kitchen. You poked around until you found some bread and the tiniest bit of peanut butter, deciding to make a sandwich. 

After you finished up, you wandered again until you found a clock. It was now 9:45 so you had been gone for a little over an hour and a half. You decided that was long enough to keep Jacob waiting. When you got back upstairs, you knocked on the wall outside his room before you peeked your head inside. Strangely, he wasn't there. You felt a wave of disappointment wash over you as you realized you may have wasted a chance to spend some time with him. 

Deciding you'd catch him when he came back upstairs, you left your door open as you pretended to read. Hours passed and when you finally went to turn off the light and go to bed, he still hadn't come back to his room. 

"Well fuck," you said under your breath as you closed the door and settled in for the night. 

\--- 

The next day you woke up early to see if Jacob still wanted to scout the area for any leads. After you ran a brush through your hair and made sure you looked somewhat presentable, you crossed the hall and knocked on his door. You listened as you heard some rustling around. A couple minutes later, Jacob answered the door. He looked like he just woke up; his normally neat hair was in a mess and he was shirtless. 

"Pup?" he asked groggily. 

"Uhh, sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up I just didn't know if you wanted to scout again today?" you explained, embarrassed at your intrusion.

"No, they'll be expecting us. I've been looking at the map..." he trailed off as he stepped aside from the door. "Coming in?" 

You stepped inside, trying to keep your eyes off of his half naked body. He motioned for the table and pointed at a new map he had of the mountains. There were circles and lines everywhere. It looked like the work of a madman. 

"What am I looking at exactly?" you asked as you studied the map. 

"The circles... those mark the places we've been under attack in the past few months. The X's here, here, here.. and there, we've had sightings. What does that tell you?" 

You looked it over for a minute before you gave him an answer. 

"They've got to be around this area," you traced the perimeter with your finger. "They're sticking close to base." 

"Exactly. I'll send some people out to keep an eye out but we can't go back to where we were. We'd be ambushed for sure." 

You nodded and took a seat at his table. You studied the map for a couple more minutes before you turned your attention back to Jacob. He was sitting at the table next to you now, running a hand through his hair in an attempt to tame it. He looked up when he saw you grinning at him. 

"Did you enjoy your walk?" he asked casually. 

"Yeah, it was a nice night. And oddly enough, no one else commented on my fashion statement," you stopped, debating whether you should mention his absence. "What did you get up to?" 

"Just busy around here. I checked on our troublemaker, she's feeling better so I'll be driving you back today." 

"Both of us?" you asked, hoping you had misunderstood. Jacob nodded. "Don't you need me to help with the Whitetails?" 

"No, I think we're good for now. I need those new recruits trained right away so you'll serve me better there for now," he explained. 

You nodded, trying to hide the disappointment from your face as you pushed your chair back and headed back to your room. 

"I'll go pack. Let me know when you're ready to go," you called over your shoulder. Jacob didn't reply. 

\---

A couple hours later, you sat around your room waiting for Jacob to tell you it was time to leave. You had time to shower and grab a bite to eat and of course, pack your bag. Now, you were starting to get anxious to just leave already. You couldn't deny your ego had been bruised a bit. It seemed like Jacob was just shipping you off now that he had gotten what he wanted. You felt like you were a high school conquest. 

"Ready?" Jacob called across the hall to you from his room. 

"Yep." 

He waited in the hall for you to collect your things, taking your bag from you when you reached his side. 

"I can carry it," you protested. 

"I know." 

You both walked down the hall without talking. You weren't sure what you expected, this was Jacob's normal behaviour. You guessed you were still hoping for an explanation as to why he was taking you home because your anxiety was giving you all kinds of answers, most of which were negative.

Naomi was sitting outside, waiting for you when you got out there. She greeted you both warmly and explained she was feeling better when you asked. Jacob took her bag too and loaded them into the truck as you and Naomi made your way inside. She insisted again on you sitting in the middle. 

Naomi talked away the whole drive as she was known to do and this time, you were thankful for the distraction. She was still talking when Jacob pulled up in front of the chalet. 

"That's our cue," you nudged her as he turned the truck off. 

She slowly made her way down from her seat as you followed behind, meeting Jacob at the front of the truck to grab your bag from him. He handed Naomi hers and told her to get some rest and then turned to you. 

"Pup," he said as he put your bag in your hands. 

"Thanks. I'll see you later." You didn't look behind you as you headed inside, greeting Oliver and Ben on the way in. 

You decided to unpack your bag before heading back downstairs. Half way through your task, you reached in and felt something foreign in the bag. You peeked in to see something made of glass, and realized Jacob must have snuck it in there. It was a bottle of whiskey. Apparently he did pay attention to what you wanted.


	8. Chapter 8

The next few days were boring compared to the excitement at the Center. The more time went by, the more you realized you needed more than just training these recruits. Every day was the same routine - wake up, train, eat, train, eat, train and then go to your spot in the woods to relax. Even that wasn't relaxing to you anymore. 

Tonight, you decided to bring your gift from Jacob with you. You weren't ready to explain where it had come from to your housemates. The whiskey wasn't half bad, you recognized it as a good brand so it definitely went down easy. After drinking half of the bottle, you decided to stop; the stars were starting to move above you. It had been years since you even had a sip of anything alcoholic so it was hitting you hard. 

"Pup? You there?" 

You heard his voice but couldn't place where it was coming from. You sat up and searched the clearing as he said it again. This time you realized it was coming from the radio at your side. You immediately felt like an idiot. You looked down at the radio for a minute, deciding whether you should answer him - the alcohol was stirring all kinds of feelings inside of you and right now, you were a bit pissed off. But you knew he was calling for you on your own chanel (all the Chosen had their individual channels as well as one used for the group collectively) so it might be important. 

"Hey Red," you said, trying to sound casual. 

"Can you meet me at the Dansky cabin in 15?" 

"Yeah, I'll be there." 

Jacob didn't say anything else and you knew he was gone. The cabin was within walking distance which was good cause you were in no shape to drive. Maybe it was your cloudy brain at the moment but you didn't think to ask him why he wanted you there. 

When you arrived, the light inside was already on (most likely candlelight), signalling you were either late or Jacob was early. You opened the door to the small cabin; Jacob was sitting on the bed, slumped over his knees slightly. He stood when he saw you. 

"You're late," he said as he met you across the room and looked down at you with the same hungry look he had when you were in the truck with him that time. 

"Is this a booty call?" you asked him, finally piecing everything together. 

"If you want it to be." Jacob pressed his palms to the tops of your arms and squeezed gently. 

"Seriously? After you..." you stopped, turning away and trying to convince yourself to shut up. The alcohol was too strong though and ultimately overtook you. "We.. We had sex and then you drove me home without an explanation. And you knew! You knew Jake..." 

"Knew what?" he asked, confused at your yelling. 

"That I didn't want to go. I'm in a prison here! It's a god damned prison. And I just want to be free... I want to be able to go... And... It just sucks..." 

Jacob smirked at you, finally realizing what was going on. "Are you drunk?" 

"No. Maybe... Ok, definitely but that's your fault. Thank you by the way. That won't make up for the rejection..." 

Jacob took your hands and led you to the bed, sitting next to you. He watched you with an amused smile until you finally stopped your rambling.

"Is that what you think happened?" he asked you. You slurred something incoherent and then decided to just nod. "I thought you wanted to go home when you blew me off. I wasn't trying to reject you." 

"Really?" you asked, leaning against him. 

"Oh pup, you overthink everything don't you?" Jacob pushed a piece of your hair behind your ear. "I'll drive you back." 

You leaned back and looked up at him, feeling the familiar tingle coursing between your legs. "Booty call's over? 

"As much as I hate to say yes, I can't while you're like this." 

You laid back in the bed dramatically at that and let out a heavy sigh as you kicked your feet. Jacob chuckled and laid back beside you. You turned to him, watching his steel blue eyes. Reaching out a thumb, you traced his bottom lip. 

"Why do you have to be so fucking sexy?" you asked him. He just grinned back at you, obviously amused by your current state. "Every time I see you... It's just so hard to... I just want to fuck you. Just right in front of everyone." 

"Oh yeah?" he asked, laughing. "No shame huh?" 

"I want everyone to know. I just need them to know that we're..." 

"We're...?"

"That you're, ya know... my fuck buddy," you whispered. 

Jacob laid a kiss on your forehead and helped you off the bed as he informed you again that he was taking you home. You protested again like a spoiled child (Jacob's words) but finally gave in when he threw you over his shoulder and put you in the truck. Really, you had no choice. 

Jacob pulled up just out of sight from the chalet, asking you again if you'd be okay to get upstairs. You assured him you would and closed the door behind you. 

"Hey, pup!" Jacob called from the window. "Keep your radio on." 

You gave him a thumbs up, almost tripping in the process and then headed home to get some much needed rest. 

\---

The next morning you woke to one doozy of a headache. You had never called in sick for your training before and really you weren't sure if that was even a thing but you informed Naomi that you weren't feeling well and to let the guys know they'd have to take over for you or just give the recruits a day off. She was asleep when you had gotten back last night so she wasn't aware of your current situation. 

"I'll let them know. I'm going to grab breakfast, do you want anything?" she asked with the same concerned expression she held since she woke up to see you white as a sheet. 

"No thanks, I just need sleep." 

She nodded and closed the door behind her, giving you your privacy. You laid back in bed and drifted easily back to sleep. 

After a couple of hours, your dreams were interrupted by a familiar voice. You groaned, not because you didn't want to talk to him but because you were still tired. Though you were pleasantly surprised to see your headache had disappeared. 

"How's my drunk pup holding up?"

"I'm fine. It takes more than a little whiskey to put me down, I'll have you know," you said into the radio 

"And that's why you're still in bed?" he asked mockingly.

You looked around instinctively for him, trying to figure out how he knew that. "No, I'm not." 

"You definitely are. Sleeping off a headache probably. Now tell me, has this taught you anything?" 

"Where are you?" you asked, getting up to peek out your window. 

"At the Center, where else?" 

"No, you're not. Are you here?" 

There was a long pause before he finally came back to you, "You want some company?" 

You knew it... sneaky bastard. You wanted to say something back but you were too giddy. You tried your best to stay calm. 

"Yes please," you finally answered him. 

A minute later, your door opened and Jacob walked in quietly, closing and locking the door behind him. You both smiled at one another as he crossed the room quickly and sat on the bed next to you. 

"Feeling better?" he asked, looking you over. 

"Yes, actually. But I think I'll play it up so I can get the day off. Don't tell my boss." 

"Well your boss knows and he told everyone to give you some space today so you're not going to be bothered." 

He motioned for you to move over a bit and propped his feet up suddenly, laying back next to you, watching you with those gorgeous eyes of his. 

"Do they know you're up here?" you asked, concerned Naomi may razz you about this later. 

"No, I told them I was going to check around the perimeter for a spot to set up another beacon." 

He pushed a bit closer to you and rubbed a thumb along your jawline, causing your lips to part involuntarily to him. He moved his hand up when he noticed and traced the outline of your lips. 

"Feeling up to it?" he asked as he dropped his hand down to your neck and then to trace the curves of your collarbone. 

You nodded and pressed your hands to his chest before you started to inch down at a painfully slow pace. He leaned over and pushed his lips to yours, gently at first but then harder and more needy. He leaned into you, moving you to your back before he climbed on top, settling between your open thighs. You instinctively wrapped them around him, bringing him closer to you. 

"You missed me, didn't you?" you whispered into his lips. You wanted nothing more than to hear him admit it but you knew Jacob wasn't that type of man.

"I think you missed me more," he pointed out as he slipped his hand between you and down your pants, feeling how wet you were for him already. 

You moaned loudly as he slid two fingers into you before he pulled them back out to rub over your clit. 

"Shhh," he reminded you. 

You bit your lip and forced yourself to supress another one as he quickened his pace, pushing against you a tiny bit harder. His hands were so skilled that you knew he must have had a lot of experience and that brought a tinge of jealousy over you. You knew you had no claim to him but didn't want to think of him with anyone else. 

"What is it?" he asked as he pulled his hand back and pushed down on you again, kissing your neck softly. 

"Nothing," you lied, forcing yourself out of your unhealthy thoughts. You weren't sure when you were going to see him next so you knew you should be caught up in the moment instead. "Take these off for me." 

You pulled at Jacob's shirt, letting him know you wanted him stripped. He grinned and pushed himself from the bed, pulling off his boots first and then dropping his pants. You stared in awe at him, seeing him in the light for the first time. No wonder you had such a hard time adjusting to him last time. 

"Eyes up here pup" he teased as he waved two fingers towards his eyes. 

He pulled his shirt up then, leaving only his dog tags around his neck. Before you had a chance to lift yourself from the bed to touch him, he was pushing you back and grabbing for the waistband of your pajama bottoms. In seconds, he had them off and had your tank top over your head. You laid back for him, letting him drink you in. 

"You're fucking perfect," he murmured as he drew his mouth to your breasts, taking turns between them. 

"I can't wait anymore," you pleaded with him. He peeked up at you but didn't move, chosing to suck on your nipple harder in return. "Jake, please..." 

"Always the impatient one," he laughed as he pulled up to his knees, gazing down at you. He let you lay on your back but pulled your legs up to rest on his shoulders, centering his cock at your entrance. 

Your moment was suddenly interrupted by the sound of your door handle jiggling. You both stopped and turned to watch it shake in place. You glanced back at Jacob who held a finger to his lips. 

"Uh, hello?" you called out, knowing it was probably Naomi. She was the only one who would come in without knocking. 

"The door's jammed... or did you lock it?" she called from outside. 

"I locked it," you told her as Jacob decided he couldn't wait and pushed his cock into you slowly. "F-fuck!" 

"Are you okay?" she asked, panic in her voice. 

You turned to Jacob who watched you with the biggest grin. Slowly, he pulled back out and thrust in again, causing every nerve in your body to set aflame. You shook your head at him but he just nodded back in protest, quickening his speed but remaining gentle. 

"Sorry, I'm ju... Just throwing up. I can't get to the door." 

"Oh my gosh... Okay, I'm sorry. I just wanted to see if you were feeling better. I'll come back later." 

You listened as her footsteps trailed off before you let out another moan. You couldn't possibly keep quiet when you were in the middle of this. Suddenly, you felt Jacob shift a bit and push into you at a deeper angle, hitting your g-spot. 

"Oh my God..." you breathed, unable to focus on anything but the sensation that was washing through you. 

"Right there?" he asked, watching your face. 

You nodded as he continued, holding your legs up a bit higher to get the perfect angle. Your eyes trailed his body as he pumped away at you, appreciating every inch of him. You couldn't believe he was yours, at least in this moment. 

"Pup, you better hurry," he breathed from above you. You knew he must be getting close. 

Just the thought of that pushed you closer to your peak but you weren't sure how long you had so you reached a hand down and ran your fingers over your clit softly. Jacob watched you wide eyed, letting out a deep moan. That was all you needed, the sound of his obvious pleasure set you over the edge and you came against him, pulling him down from his knees and forcing him to lay on top of you while you kissed him roughly. Jacob pushed a hand into your hair, bringing your face closer to his as he moaned against your lips. You felt his body shudder and buck against you before it relaxed. 

You smiled up at him when he finally pulled away from you and gave you one last kiss before he rolled over, trying his best not to crowd you in your tiny twin mattress. 

"You need a bigger bed," he commented as he caught his breath. 

"Definitely. I'll have to talk to my boss." 

He smiled back at you as you both laid against the soft mattress, composing yourselves again.


	9. Chapter 9

"No more drinking," Jacob warned you after he had gotten dressed again and had informed you that he had better go before the others started looking for him. 

"That was entirely your fault. Are you sticking around for a bit?" 

He pulled on his jacket, rolling up the sleeves in their normal fashion and turned his attention back to you, "No, I have to get back." 

"You drove here just for the sex?" you teased him. 

"Yes," he answered truthfully. "Alright, rest up. We'll talk soon." 

With that, he up and left, closing the door behind him. You didn't know what you expected... A kiss good bye maybe? But then again, this was only sex. You had to keep reminding yourself of that. It's just sex... really... really... really good sex. 

You sighed and threw yourself back in bed, deciding to take advantage of your day off and just relax. 

\--- 

The next day, you work up feeling a lot better than you had the day before. You actually woke up before the others; washing up and brewing some coffee for everyone long before the sun came up. 

For the first time in a long time, you felt well rested and refreshed, even (dare you say it) happy. Not that you were an unhappy person but something was different and you couldn't place your finger on it. 

You sat down at the table with a cup of coffee and your toast, flipping through an issue of an old magazine that was kicking around the lodge. 

"You're up early," Naomi greeted you as she pulled a mug from the cupboard and followed your lead on the caffeine. 

"Yeah, it must have been all the sleep I got yesterday," you told her. 

"I guess. You were out cold when I came to bed last night." 

Truthfully, you had faked it so she wouldn't ask you any follow up questions to yesterday's events but you'd leave that part out. 

"Yeah, I must have had the flu." 

"You missed the boss. He was out scoping for a new place to put a beacon. He actually listened to my suggestion!" she said happily. 

"That's awesome. I guess he does listen every once in awhile. What did he want by the way?" you asked, curious what he had told the others. 

"He said he was here to talk to you about helping a couple scouts out with the area we saw those Whitetails but I told him you were sick. I offered to help but he said it could wait." 

"Oh, shitty. Well, he can always radio me if he needs help." 

Naomi nodded, oblivious to what had transpired in your shared bedroom yesterday. You smiled into your mug when the events ran through your mind. 

"You back to your flying lessons today?" you asked her, changing the subject. 

"No, still healing up the ole wing," she said as she patted her shoulder. "We should do something later this afternoon. These recruits are being picked up this morning I guess. I'm not sure when the next ones arrive but we'll have some time." 

You finished up your coffee and headed to the perculator for a refill. You probably didn't need it today with the great mood you were in but decided to indulge. 

"What do you have in mind?" you asked. 

Naomi stared down at the table for a minute, chewing at the inside of her cheek. It looked like she was debating whether she should ask you something or not. 

"Naomi. What?" you laughed.

"Well, Finn suggested we go for a swim at that pond by the Center. He's going to bring his friend, you know... the one who was with him that night. I figured maybe you could come with me to keep me company." 

You sat back at the table, across from her. A smile spread across your face, "You like him don't you?" 

"Yes? Maybe? I don't know. He's always been so kind to me and he's faithful to the Project," she explained. 

Aka, he's a religious nut, you thought but kept your mouth shut. Obviously this meant a lot to her and she was your best friend so you'd do anything she needed you to, even come along on some awkward ass double date. 

"The water's going to be freezing," you reminded her.

"I know... Well, maybe not. It is still summer... And the weather's been a bit warmer up here lately." 

"I'm kidding, of course I'll go with you," you assured her, much to her delight. "Do we have special Chosen bathing suits?" 

Naomi laughed. That was one of the things that had drawn you to her; she always laughed at your dumb ass jokes. "No, so wear some matching underwear." 

"Ugh... You're lucky I love you." 

She beamed at you as she stole a piece of your toast, both of you sitting in silence while you chewed. 

\--- 

"Okay, you ready?" Naomi asked after you had both made sure you had on matching underwear (at her insistence again) and dressed for your get-together. You refused to call it a date. 

"Yep, but I'm driving." 

She nodded and grabbed your bag which she had stuffed full of towels, a blanket, your radios and whatever else she could get her hands on. You both hurried downstairs and out the door before the guys could ask where you were going, practically running for the truck. Naomi giggled the whole way. 

"I'm so nervous," she said finally when you were both in the truck and headed towards the Veteran's Center. 

"You guys are totally going to do it," you teased her, enjoying the fact that it was your turn to get a couple jabs in this time. 

"Stop. He would never try anything. I just really like him, I don't want to mess up." 

"You won't," you said as you glanced between her and the road. "Wait, are we meeting them right at the Center?" 

You mind went to Jacob. You didn't want him to see you and think you were that desperate to be around him. 

"We'll park outside the gates and then walk in. The guys said they'll meet us there. I know where to go." 

You nodded and did as she instructed, pulling the truck over on the road just out front. You grabbed the bag and your bow just in case and you both headed through the woods towards the pond. When you got there, Finn and his friend were already in the water. They both came out to meet you when they noticed your arrival. 

Finn and Naomi were chatty and the conversation seemed relaxed. Kyle (you finally learned his name) was as awkward as you were, both of you mostly listening in on your friends' conversation. 

"So, you doing the training of the recruits I hear?" Kyle asked you as he pushed a strand of his shoulder length blonde hair out of his eyes. 

"Yeah, mostly... Unless Jacob needs me to help him scout or whatever." 

"He must really trust you. I think I've only been out with him once and there was a group of us." 

"I guess. We're pretty friendly," you said before realizing you probably shouldn't have said that. Not all of the Chosen were as close to Jacob as you were (even before the sex) and they all aspired to be. You didn't want to make this poor guy feel inadequate. "I annoy the shit out of him though, he tells me every time he sees me." 

Kyle laughed, loosening up a bit. "Do you want to go in the water? It's not bad, really... Once you get over the sensitive parts." He glanced down at his crotch. 

You couldn't help but laugh back but nodded before telling Naomi and Finn what you were planning. They agreed to join you; Finn and Kyle ran back into the water as you and Naomi stood on the shore. She looked at you nervously, probably shy of stripping down. 

"Good lord woman, I've seen you in your unders... You have nothing to be shy about. Trust me," you told her, bringing a slight smile to her face. 

She let out a breath and stripped quickly, waiting for you to do the same. You were a bit self conscious but pushed it out of your mind quickly and stripped as well. You ran full tilt into the water, diving below the surface before you could appreciate how frigid the water was. Naomi on the other hand, walked in step by tiny step... Forcing you to roll your eyes. 

"Cold huh?" Kyle asked you. 

You turned to see his eyes weren't on yours but rather on your chest. You groaned internally... One of those guys, huh? You nodded but decided not to be particularly nice to him anymore. 

The four of you splashed around a bit and conversed (mostly Finn and Naomi). You were actually enjoying your time in the water; you had always liked swimming. You guessed you had been here for an hour or so and weren't really in any rush to get back. 

"Oh shit," you heard Kyle say quietly as you resurfaced to the top of the water again. 

You looked at him for a further explanation but he was staring at the shore. You followed his eyes to see Jacob and two other hunters watching you. Jacob was of course standing with his arms crossed and an amused look on his face until he noticed you. Then his expression turned to something else you couldn't quite figure out. 

"A little cold for a swim, isn't it?" he called to the four of you. "Especially with what you've got on." His eyes darted to you at that.

"Water's not bad when you get in," Finn offered, holding Naomi around the shoulders. 

"Come join us!" Naomi added. You groaned at her innocence. Of course Jacob would say no, he had an image to uphold. 

"We're patrolling. Naomi, I'm sending more people to you tomorrow so don't stay out too late." 

You noticed he addressed Naomi instead of you, even though you did the majority of the training. She nodded happily and waved as they took off through the trees again. You watched after them, waiting for Jacob to turn back to you but he never did. 

You were suddenly overcome with emotions. First you were worried what he may think was happening here but then you reminded yourself that you weren't in a relationship. That's when the anger bubbled up; how dare he ignore you just because you were having some fun for once. Fuck, that man was so infuriating sometimes. 

After Jacob had left, things went a bit quiet and you could tell Finn and Kyle were kind of nervous so you suggested you get back before it got too late. Everyone agreed happily. 

\--- 

After Naomi finally pulled away from her first kiss with Finn, she met you in the truck, beaming. 

"Good night, huh?" you asked her, nudging her side. 

"I feel like I'm on cloud nine right now. It was a perfect night... Well except for Jacob. Did he seem mad to you?" 

"Hard to say with him." 

"True. He probably thought we were out having an orgy or something when he saw us in our bras," she laughed but then suddenly stopped. "Oh my God, he saw me in my bra..." 

"Maybe it'll help you get promoted," you winked at her. She laughed and slapped at your arm. 

When you got back to the chalet, you told Naomi you were going to grab some water and would be right up to bed. She nodded and ran up the stairs, clearly elated from her date. 

After you heard her close the bedroom door, you snuck outside and brought your radio from your bag. You decided you had to clear the air or else it would drive you crazy for the rest of the night.

"Jacob?" 

You waited a couple minutes but he didn't say anything. 

"Hey, Red... you there?" 

Silence again. You waited for another ten minutes before you realized he wasn't going to reply.


	10. Chapter 10

Four days went by and you still hadn't heard from Jacob. You went through a range of emotions: worry, anger, longing, anger, anger and now you were more pissed off than you'd been in a long time. 

You were starting to wonder if this arrangement of yours was worth it. You didn't care if all he wanted was sex but where was the friend part in "friends with benefits". 

As promised, he had sent over the new recruits so you had been beyond busy with their training. They were a smaller group this time but they all listened to you and that's all you could hope for. 

At night, you wandered the woods or would go for a drive with Naomi though mostly, she was busy on her radio with Finn. You felt like you were in high school all over again. 

Tonight you decided to go for a walk up to Dansky Cabin again. You hadn't really been inside until you met Jacob that night you were drunk but you remembered seeing something on the wall about Big Foot and wanted to check it out. The cabin was within walking distance so if nothing else, you'd enjoy some time outside. 

You brought your bow along as always but decided to leave your radio home for a bit. You needed some time away from everyone. When you neared the cabin, you were surprised to see a faint glow from inside. Immediately, one hand was on your bow and the other was reaching for an arrow. You crept around the side of the cabin, doing a visual sweep on the area. You couldn't see anything except for the front of a pick up truck.

You stood for a moment, trying to decide if you should just go back home and forget about it or investigate. You knew the curiosity was going to be too much for you and decided to peek through one of the windows. You brought your bow up and rested the drawn bow string against your cheek, ready to let the arrow go if needed. Taking two quick steps, you stopped in front of the window to see Jacob sitting on the bed, hands between his legs and eyes to the floor. He noticed you immediately and jumped up, grabbing for his gun. 

"Jesus pup..." he yelled as he realized it was you. 

You dropped your bow and placed the arrow over your shoulder as you walked around to the front door and pushed it open. By the time you go inside, Jacob had out his gun away and was on his feet. 

"What are you doing?" you asked him, both annoyed and relieved to see his face. This was getting to be a pattern. 

"I was... I'm just taking a break before I have to head back out. You always sneak up on people like that?" 

"I didn't know it was you," you explained. "Why the hell are you out this way?" 

Jacob stopped for a minute, looking over your face, presumably trying to read your expression. 

"You okay?" he finally asked, ignoring your question. 

"Yeah, I'm fine." 

"Okay, cause you kind of look like you did that night you got drunk and you were pissed at me." 

You dropped your bow and quiver on the counter beside you and debated whether to tell him. You had never been one to shy away from sharing your feelings and knew that men never picked up on hints, no matter how hard you tried so why even bother? You decided Jacob would welcome your directness. 

"Why did you ignore me when you saw me the other night?" you asked bluntly. 

"I didn't." 

You rolled your eyes, annoyed that you had to elaborate. "You clearly did. You told Naomi you were sending her recruits when you know she's laid up with her shoulder. And I do most of the training anyhow." 

"That's what you're upset about?" he asked, sitting back on the bed and stretching his long legs casually, trying to brush you off. 

"It was deliberate and you know it. And then I don't hear from you in almost a week." 

"I've been busy. Same as you've been." he spat back. 

You knew you should be mad but you were actually kind of amused by him. You had never seen Jacob lose his calm exterior before and here he was, finally showing a bit of emotion like a real human boy. 

"Oh my God...Jacob Seed, are you jealous?" you asked him, thoroughly amused. 

He rolled his eyes at you and laid back in bed, folding his arms under his head. You waited a minute for him to give you an answer but he kept quiet. Deciding you needed him to talk, you jumped on top of him, straddling his hips and putting your hands on his elbows, pinning him to the bed. 

"You are, aren't you?!" you asked him again, grinning. 

"Jesus, woman... get off of me." He pushed up at you slightly but you knew he wasn't trying. If he really wanted to, he'd have thrown you off easily by now. 

"Admit it," she said, poking at his ribs. 

Jacob grabbed your hands and gave you a warning look but you pulled them away again and continued your "assault". 

"Jake... just admit it." 

He had finally had enough of you, pulling himself up and rolling you over easily, as he pushed down on top of you. You were completely pinned to the bed and knew you wouldn't be able to escape as easily. 

"God, you're annoying," he whispered as he brought his lips down on yours.

You welcomed his touch a little too eagerly, forgetting about the days you spent stewing over him. Pushing gainst him gently, you ran a hand through his hair and took in his scent; he always smelled of the woods. 

"I'm not putting out," you told him when he released you from his kiss. He stared down at with that same look he got everytime he wanted you.

"Oh no?" he asked, leaning down and pushing your face to the side with his to expose your neck. 

He kissed you lightly before he started sucking, sending the most exquisite chill through your body. When he noticed your body reacting, he sank his teeth against your skin roughly, causing you to moan against him. 

"You sure?" he asked again. 

"Mmm hmm. I'm not just a booty call you know. We're supposed to be friends." 

"We are..." he assured you as he moved his mouth down to you shoulder, pulling back the fabric of your shirt and continuing to mark you with his mouth. His other hand was now under your shirt and was pulling at your bra, trying desperately to pull the fabric down to expose your breasts. You chuckled quietly, enjoying his struggle. 

"Jake?" you asked, stopping him in his tracks. He stopped to look up at you. "Roll over for me." 

He grinned and did as you asked, pulling his shirt off before he settled back against the pillows. What a presumptuous ass, you thought. 

You climbed on top of him, straddling his thighs and placing your first kiss on the nape of his neck. You paused for a moment before you kissed him again, this time an inch or two lower. He watched you intently as you continued, kissing your way down his body. As you got lower, you felt him harden against you, bringing a smile to your lips. 

You were finally at the waistband of his jeans but stopped again to look up at him innocently. He reached a hand up to stroke your hair as you felt his body push up from the bed slightly, encouraging you to continue. You laid one final kiss on his stomach before you unbuckled his belt and unzipped his fly, bringing his jeans down to his knees. You knew you couldn't get them all the way off because of those damn boots he always wore. 

"For me?" you asked as you stared at the bulge in the front of his boxer briefs. 

"All yours," he said in a raspy voice, running his fingers through your hair a little rougher than he had been. You knew he was eager for you to continue. 

Your lips were on him, kissing hard enough for him to feel it through the fabric. Above you, you heard him let out a long moan. His hand stopped in your hair and he let it rest on the bed beside him, fingers curled into the sheets. You brought your gaze away from his hands and pulled his boxers down, watching his cock spring free as he moaned your name - not "pup" but your real name. It surprised you a bit at the intimacy of it. 

"Jake?" you asked him again as you drew your mouth around the head of his cock and swirled your tongue gently. You let your lips part and slide down half of his length.

"Fuck...." he moaned at the feeling of finally having your mouth on him. He composed himself enough to answer you back. "Yes?"

You knelt back suddenly to rest on your heels. "Admit it." 

"You bitch," he said, figuring out you had been teasing him this whole time. "You're going to get it." 

You jumped up quickly and darted across the room, grabbing your bow and heading for the door but Jacob had his pants up and had reached you before you could. 

"Oooh, no you don't," he said, scooping you up and bringing you back to bed. You dropped your bow back on the counter on your way back. 

"Just admit it!" you squealed as he threw you to the bed and ripped at your clothes, undressing you quickly. 

When you were finally bare, he bent over you to take one of your breasts in his mouth while he kneaded the other impatiently. When you tried to wriggle under him, he bit down on your nipple, causing you to let out a yelp. You writhed under him, enjoying the rough treatment he was giving your body. 

"Jake.." you were just going to tell him you needed him but he must have thought you were going to pressure him for answers again. 

He let out an exasperated sigh and pulled up to lay on you, his face inches from yours. "Fuck... Yes.. I was. Happy?"

You smiled up at him and ran a hand down his cheek, "That's not what I was going to ask but yes, very." 

Jacob's eyebrows shot up at that, realizing he disclosed information he really didn't have to. He gave you a devilish grin, causing you to recoil against him. He looked like he was ready to eat you up. 

"Turn over," he ordered as he pushed up from on top of you. 

You looked back at him questioningly but decided to play along. You turned over on all fours and pushed your upper body to the bed, bringing your ass up in the air, giving him a view you knew he'd appreciate. Your suspicions were confirmed when you glanced over your shoulder and he was just standing there, staring at you. 

"Are you going to fuck me or what?" you asked him quietly, wagging your hips slightly. 

He sucked in his bottom lip, kneeling on the floor by the bed and grabbed your hips before he pushed his mouth to your pussy. His lips were everywhere, covering every inch of you; running down your thighs and then back to your entrance before he finally flicked his tongue at your clit. You sank down into the bed, clenching your fists around the sheets and moaning loudly into them. His tongue continued moving against you in random patterns, each sensation different and yet somehow better than the last. When you were finally about to cum, he pulled back and stood behind you. You heard the sound of his zipper before he pulled your hips to his, slamming into your roughly. 

"Is this a punishment?" you asked him, unhappy that he had stopped when you needed him to do everything but. 

"Don't think about cumming, pup. You earned this," he said as his breath grew heavier. 

You smiled into the bed as he thrust into you roughly, rubbing against your walls perfectly. Your smile disappeared suddenly when he pushed deeper, bringing you all the way to his hips. You let out a pained gasp at the intrusion; he was so much deeper than he ever was, in this position. 

"Gentle," you pleaded but he continued without pause. You glanced back at him and watched him grin back at you. "Seriously... I think I need a sec.." 

"Nope," he said quickly as he dug his fingers into your hips. 

You noticed even though he didn't stop, his movements were now a bit softer. He would never admit it but you knew he didn't want to hurt you. You welcomed the change as your body quickly became accustomed to it. 

"Even your ass is perfect," he panted behind you. He always had such a way with words, you thought, laughing. 

"You're just easy to... p-please," you stammered as he moved up a bit to the spot he knew you loved. 

His cock hit at your g-spot over and over, soft at first but then harder and more desperate. You knew he wasn't going to go through with his promise. 

"Don't stop... I'm right there," you begged him and felt his movements quicken, bringing you over the edge. You immediately felt yourself let go and cum hard against him, moaning his name into the sheets. 

Jacob stopped suddenly and flipped you over, falling on top of you again and and pushing himself back inside your now soaked core. He brought his lips to yours and held you tightly as he came inside of you, groaning against your mouth. 

He took his time this time before rolling off of you, gazing at your face and running his hand through your hair. He kissed you over and over, finally nuzzling against you neck, still inside of you. You were scared to say anything because you wanted this to last forever. 

Finally, you felt him pull out as he slid over on the bed next to you. You weren't sure if he would welcome it but decided to try your luck, pressing yourself against his chest and running you hand over his stomach. Jacob pulled his arm from under you and wrapped it around your shoulder, bringing you closer. Everything he was doing lately was so out of character for him but you weren't complaining.


	11. Chapter 11

"So are you going to tell me why you were here?" you asked awhile later, still enjoying the closeness you were sharing with Jacob. 

"I was debating whether to radio you."

"For a booty call?" 

"I wanted to see you," he said into your hair. 

You peeked up at him, watching his face. He was so complex - always with two sides: stern but fair, distant but touch starved, ruthless and cold but now you were seeing this sweet side of him. You felt a touch of guilt for the jealousy you had brought from him. 

"Finn asked Naomi to go swimming with his buddy and she was nervous so I went with her," you explained to him. 

"You don't owe me an explanation," he said calmly. 

"I would never do anything with him," you continued. 

"Pup, you don't need to explain. If you want to sleep with other people, I can't stop you." 

"He's not my type, too scrawny..." you stopped, realizing his words. "Are you... I mean, not that it's a problem but are you sleeping with other people?" 

Jacob leaned back so he could take in your expression. He reached down and pushed the hair that had fallen over your face. 

"Would it bother you if I did?" 

You thought about that for a minute, feeling a surge of jealousy course through your body. You didn't want to share him but knew you couldn't tell him that. He didn't owe you that. "I couldn't say anything." 

"That's not what I asked," he said with a serious expression. You weren't sure how to respond. 

"No," you lied. Jacob smirked at you. 

"You're a terrible liar. Look at how red your face is." 

You buried your face back against his chest, knowing he was right. You hoped he was done with this question because you were never one to hide your emotions from your face and like Jacob had pointed out, your face always reddened when you were upset. 

You heard him laugh above you as he squeezed his arm around you. "You're the only one." 

You felt a wave a relief when he said that but tried your best to hide it from him. You decided to change the subject. "Do you think these sheets are clean?" 

"Probably not."

"Oh fuck," you exclaimed as you pushed up off of them and stood next to the bed, looking them over. It was hard to see with just the candle light but you suspected he was right. 

"Too late now," he laughed, pulling himself up to collect his clothes. 

You both dressed quickly at the realization and then stopped to take one another in, in silence. 

"I should probably go before Naomi sends a search party," you said sadly. 

"I'll give you a lift," he told you, picking up your bow and quiver and blowing out the candles. 

He opened your door for you again when you got to the truck, waiting until you were seated before he handed you your weapon. Once he was satisfied that your limbs were out of the way of the door, he closed it and made his way to the driver's seat. 

It was a quick drive home and you were disappointed when he pulled over, just up the road from the chalet. 

"Night Red," you said quietly. 

"Night Pup," he returned. 

You knew you shouldn't but you leaned over and kissed him quickly before bolting out of the truck and jogging down the road. You didn't turn to see his reaction. 

\---

"There you are! I was ready to send a search party," Naomi told you when you got upstairs to your room. She was already propped up in bed with a book.

"No need to panic, I have arrived."

You set your bow against the wall at the foot of your bed and the radio and your hunting knife on your nightstand before you started undressing. Naomi turned instinctively to give you some privacy while you got into your normal tank and pajama bottoms. 

"Where were you?" she asked, still facing away from you. 

"Just out for a walk. I lost track of time I guess. I'm dressed." 

She turned back with a gasp. "Uhh, what kind of walk was it?" 

You looked behind you, searching for whatever it was she was staring at, not seeing anything. You turned back to her with a questioning look. 

"Your neck... Is that a hickey?" she said in awe, pushing up from the bed to get a closer look. 

You went to the mirror that hung on one of the walls, inspecting it. Dammit... that was indeed what it was. 

"Oh, no... I got stung by something earlier. I think I may be allergic," you lied. You made a point not to look at her when you did.

"No, no, no.." she got up then, walking over to you and pulling your hand from the mark, inspecting it for herself. "And there.. that looks like teeth marks on your shoulder. Did you see Kyle?" 

"God, no. Naomi, just drop it okay?" 

She pushed her face closer, inspecting every inch of your exposed skin before you pulled away and plopped down on your bed, hoping she would do as you asked. 

"I can't believe you were out somewhere getting a piece and you won't tell me who. I need to know these things. Oooh.." she suddenly got a devious grin on her face. "You probably went parking with Red again, didn't you?" 

You felt your cheeks start to redden and knew you couldn't say anything over the smile that was forming on your lips so you laid back in bed and flipped her off instead. You watched out of the corner of your eye as she leaned up from her own bed and peered over at you with her mouth hanging open. 

"Okay, I was only joking before but it was him wasn't it?" 

You leaned on your elbow and looked back to her, giving her a pleading look. "Okay, yes... But Naomi, you can't breath a word of this to anyone. Please?" 

"I won't, I promise you. Oh my gosh... I'm in shock. When... How long?"

"A couple weeks but it's not a thing... It's just sex so please don't make a big deal of it okay?" 

She nodded and made the motion of zipping her lips. You knew she would be true to her word. She watched you for a minute with a strange look on her face before it suddenly lit up with the realization of something. 

"He was up here, wasn't he? The other day when you were sick and I knocked on the door," she said in shock. You didn't say anything but scrunched your face up to show your guilt. "You guys were having sex while I was talking to you?!" 

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to lie to you but I couldn't just tell you." 

"I can't even believe this," she said as she threw herself back in her bed. "Well, you need to tell me everything now because this is going to consume me."

"Do I have to?" you asked her, watching her nod. "There's not much to tell. We went to investigate a sighting one night and we got talking and I said he needed a friend with benefits cause the poor guy's clearly frustrated and then it just happened." 

Naomi was sitting back up in bed now with her legs folded under her. She was hanging on your every word. You knew she was a virgin so no wonder she wanted all the details, she was probably sexually frustrated too. 

"Just the once? What's he like? I bet he looks good under those clothes, doesn't he? I bet he's a cuddler... No wait, that's crazy. There's no way. Is he?" she was starting to ramble now. 

"Three times, amazing, fuck yes and sometimes," you answered her, trying your best to remember her questions. 

She squealed and clapped her hands together, beaming up at you before you placed a finger over your lips, reminding her that there were still people around. 

"I'm totally going to watch your chemistry tomorrow when he's here.

"Tomorrow?" 

"For his weekly check in, remember? He was just here last time for you apparently." 

"Oh shit, I guess you're right. I better get to sleep, he'll be here early," you decided.

Naomi agreed and leaned over to turn off the light, grinning at you the whole time. You groaned and laid back in bed, falling asleep quickly. 

\---

"New jeans?" Naomi asked as she looked you over. 

You had decided to wear a pair of dark slim fitting jeans under your boots and a button up flannel shirt, in hopes of covering your hickey. You didn't need anyone else noticing it. 

"Nope, I've had them for awhile." 

"I'm just not used to seeing you in them I guess. Looking good," she said with a wink. 

"Thanks. I need coffee, want some?" you asked as you headed for the door. She nodded and followed you downstairs. 

When you got to the kitchen, you were surprised to see Jacob already leaning against the counter, drinking out of his mug. 

"Naomi. Pup," he greeted you. "Coffee?" 

"Yes please," Naomi agreed. You nodded as well as you both sat at the table. 

Jacob poured you each a coffee, putting a splash of milk into Naomi's and leaving yours black. He smiled down at you as he placed your mug in front of you. 

"Thanks Red," you said, shifting your eyes away from his and to Naomi who was grinning at you. You kicked her under the table. 

"Where are the boys?" Jacob asked as he pushed up a chair and joined you at the table. 

"I think Ben's on his way. Oliver was getting the recruits ready for some shooting but he'll be in shortly," Naomi explained. 

"I'm here, sorry. I woke up late. Jacob, morning! Ladies," Ben hustled into the room, plunking down in the chair next to you. "Sleep well?" 

"I did. You?" 

"Awesome, yeah.. I did too. Man, yesterday was busy. I was just wiped by the end of the day," Ben continued to ramble on as per his norm. His energy knew no bounds. 

"Morning," Oliver announced as he came in through the door, pouring himself some coffee and joining the group. 

"What's on the agenda?" Ben asked Jacob, not letting another take a second to enjoy their caffeine. 

You knew Jacob wasn't a huge fan of his but the kid was one of his best pilots and he couldn't deny that. Maybe if Ben quieted down a bit, they'd get along better but you knew that wouldn't happen. 

"I found a location for a new beacon, as Naomi suggested. I'll be sending some people up here to set it up so they may have to stay her for a night or two. I know you're used to your privacy but this means there will be a bit more traffic out this way going forward," Jacob addressed the group. You all nodded in agreement before he continued. "John called me last night... he's having some problems with his men. There was a group of Resistance that hit his ranch and he lost some people. The rest of them just aren't competent enough to protect him."

"Did we send them to him?" you asked, worried that some of the people you had trained had failed in their task. 

"No, no," Jacob waved a hand at you. "They came from the Valley, just some people John recruited himself but most of them hadn't held a gun before. We're going to have to train them. Pup, I'm sending you down to the ranch for a bit."

"You don't need me here?" you asked.

"I do but this is more important. Naomi is still out of commission and I need Ben and Oliver to be ready with the planes if I need them." 

"No problem," you agreed, hiding your disappointment. 

"Anything else?" Jacob asked, looking around. 

Ben brought up a couple things and Naomi talked a bit more about the beacon she was obviously proud of. After everyone had said what they needed, Jacob dismissed everyone but asked you to stay back so he could go over some details of your temporary placement. 

When he was sure everyone was gone, he ran a finger over your hand that was resting on the table next to his. 

"I'm not sending you away," he told you.

"I know. I'm excited to see your handsome brother anyhow," you said, grinning back at him. 

"Am I going to have to go with you to keep an eye on you?" he asked, rubbing his fingers a little harder. 

"When do I leave?" you changed the subject. 

"As soon as we're done here. Take one of the trucks. There will be a roadblock on the way there but John's giving them the heads up. Wear your jacket anyhow so they know." 

"Will do. How long does he need me?" 

"As long as it takes. I'm going to send some extra people down for him but you'll need to whip these ones into shape too," he explained as he stood, pulling you up along with him. That was your cue to get packed. 

"Okay, I'll see you when I get back then." 

You pushed your chair back in and headed for the door, placing a hand on Jacob's arm as you went. His fingers reached up for it and pulled you back to him, bringing you into his arms. 

"Behave yourself," he warned as he looked down at you. 

"I will," you agreed softly, waiting for him to kiss you but he didn't move. You held a hand to his cheek and then pushed away, heading for your room.


	12. Chapter 12

Sure enough, when you hit the border to Holland Valley, you came across a road block. You rolled your window as one of the guys approached you. He held his gun on you the entire time. 

"John's waiting for me," you said calmly, patting at your bag as he peeked in the truck. 

His eyes widened when he saw your hunter's jacket. Most of the followers in the county were deeply fearful and respectful of Jacob's Chosen, knowing they were his elite troops and could probably shoot them dead from a mile away. 

"One of Jacob's?" he asked though you knew he already knew the answer. You nodded. "Give us a minute please."

You put the truck in park as the trucks were moved to the shoulder of the road. The drivers quickly hopped out and moved the barricades, giving you room to drive through. You waved in thanks as you drove through, watching them in your rearview mirror as they worked quickly to replace the trucks. 

You continued on to the ranch, pulling up and parking in front. You watched as the guards around his house stopped what you were doing to inspect your truck. You knew in the past that sometimes the followers who were recruited by the other brothers were hesitant to listen to new people. Where you would be more lenient with your own recruits, you knew you shouldn't start off that way today. You grabbed your backpack with your clothes and your weapons bag with your AR-C and bow, and walked confidently to the front door without giving them a second glance. 

After a couple seconds, John opened the door, throwing his arms out and greeting you with a hug. He was always about the bravado. 

"Hey John, nice to see you again." 

"I'm happy you could make it, and also that my brother allowed you to come. I know it couldn't have been easy letting one of his favorites out of his clutches," he told you, motioning for you to follow him inside. You had met him several times but had never been inside the ranch. It was really something. 

"He said that?" you asked, shocked that Jacob would talk about you at all. 

"Well, not in so many words but I know it's true. He's very proud of you and your accomplishments. He's told me that much. Please, let me show you to your room." 

You followed him as he waved a hand here and there, pointing out different rooms and books you might like to read. Finally, he came to a small bedroom in the corner of the house. It was beautifully decorated and much to your delight, there was a good sized bed. 

"Would you like a moment to settle in before I show you the rest?" he asked as he leaned casually on the doorframe behind you. 

"I'll just throw my bags down and we can go," you told him. 

He smiled back at you, letting it touch his eyes. You marvelled at how different John and Jacob were. John could be almost formal in his speech and you always felt like he was putting up a front, like you'd never really know what he was truly thinking. Jacob on the other hand was vulgar and rough around the edges. You were thankful for that. 

"In here is the kitchen. The fridge is always stocked and I don't mind cooking for us but if I'm not around, please help yourself to anything. I'm sometimes... indisposed."

Meaning the psycho was off skinning people, you thought but kept your mouth shut and nodded in appreciation to his offer. After he finished the tour of the house and the grounds, he stopped outside and called his people over. You noticed there were only eight of them left and wondered how many people he had lost. There wasn't a single female in sight, just you and all this testosterone. Great.

"Brothers, Jacob was generous enough to send one of his Chosen to help in your training. She is responsible for the majority of the training in the mountains and has my brother's full confidence. Please, take this time to absorb as much as you can so we can be fully prepared if there is another incident," John announced loudly to them, patting you on the shoulder as he took his leave. 

"Well, that was formal..." you muttered after John disappeared from inside the house. A couple of the guys laughed at that. "I on the other hand an not, so I won't have a formal schedule. You guys have to let me know what you need from me and I'll do my best to help. Fair?" 

They all agreed and you took a couple minutes to introduce yourself to everyone, getting to know a bit about them. Most of them were chatty and from their stories, they were nervous of another attack. That worked well for you; cocky people were always the hardest to break down. 

You spent the rest of the day setting up targets and letting them practice with their rifles and hand guns. You would save the bows for a later time. It was evident as Jacob had said, that many of them had never fired a gun. Only two had done a bit of hunting in the past so you weren't overly worried about them after they demonstrated their proficiency with their weapons. Rather than have them sit on the sidelines or help train the others, you treated them the same way. You always felt it was important not to single anyone out for not being as good as the others. It always worked against you and you didn't like to make anyone feel inadequate. 

One of these fine "gentlemen" whom you learned was named Jed, did nothing but complain the entire time, but only when he thought you were out of earshot. He had spent years in the woods and was (according to him) an expert hunter, so he didn't feel like he had to go through the same exercises as the others. You chose to let it go, hoping to win him over tomorrow. Sometimes people just needed time but sometimes they were just assholes. You guessed you'd have to wait to find out. 

At the end of the day, everyone went inside for a meal that John had prepared. The conversation was light but comfortable and the time went quickly. Finally it was time for everyone to disperse. Jacob's hunters had arrived as you were going to your room. You greeted them before John whisked them away, not recognizing a lot of them. Apparently they were going to be on watch at night while the others slept. You knew that was probably a good plan. 

When you finally got to your room, you got ready for bed and radioed Naomi to wish her sweet dreams, setting down the radio on your nightstand when you were done and feeling lonelier than you had in a long time.


	13. Chapter 13

The next week and a half was more of the same, every day the recruits got a little better and genuinely seemed to appreciate your help. They were pretty okay with their guns now and the ones who chose to train with bows as well were catching on slowly. 

Every day that went by, you felt a little bit better. Things weren't awkward anymore and you could joke around like you would if you were back home. Even John was starting to loosen up a bit, poking fun at you from time to time. 

You and Naomi talked every night and occasionally Ben and Oliver would talk for a bit too, all of them telling you how they missed you. Even Jacob had radioed you a couple times to check in. You tried to get him to admit he missed you but he never did take the bait. It was always hardest to end those broadcasts because your longing for him would set in deeply as his voice faded. As much as you tried to force yourself not to, you really cared about him on a deeper level. 

\---

This morning, the recruits were doing some longer distance target practice for a change, adding to the difficulty. You walked behind each, helping their stance or correcting their aim if needed. The only one who didn't welcome it was Jed, of course. Nothing had changed there. You weren't sure if it was the anxiety of being away from home or in a new place or just having to deal with his whiney ass everyday but today you decided you'd had enough. 

"What was that?" you called over to him as he said something under his breath to his companion who in turn rolled his eyes. 

He whipped his head around at you, shaking it in denial. 

"No, no. I'm sorry but I've had enough of this cowardice bullshit. I've been fair to everyone here and yet everyday, I hear you whispering some snide remark about me. If you have the balls to say it at all, then have enough to say it to me," you said as you stared him down, almost face to face. 

"You know, fine... I'm just sick of all of this. You come in here like you're queen shit and we're supposed to bow down. I could out shoot you any day but here I am, listening to you go on and on everyday," he spat back. 

"That's fair," you said, looking away at the target at the furthest end of the lawn. "Maybe you could show me a thing or two then, hmm? There are two targets down there... You take one, I take the other. Five shots." 

He looked around confidently, finally nodding and grabbing his rifle. Before he took aim, he made a point of looking over to you and giving you a wink. Your blood was boiling at this point. 

You watched as he steadied the rifle, taking his time with each shot. When he was done, he set the gun to his side and nodded at you. He hadn't done too badly: three of the shots had reached the targets head, one shot through the neck and the other the chest. 

"Impressive," you told him as you took his gun and reloaded. 

You faked a nervous smile as you stood next to him, bringing the rifle up. You didn't take your time like he had but rather aimed and fired quickly, unloading five shells in a half a minute tops. You gave the gun back to him as you walked away with a triumphant smile, calling over you shoulder for everyone to keep practicing. 

As you walked away, they stared at your target; all five headshots were within an inch or two of one another. 

\--- 

That night, you grabbed something for dinner and ate in your room alone. You were kind of embarrassed at showing off earlier even though it felt damn good at the time. Truthfully, things were just kind of getting to you today. You missed your friends and Jacob and your spot in the woods. You even missed your tiny twin bed. 

Staring at your radio, you debated whether you should call for someone but decided a walk would help clear your head instead. There were a couple little paths around the perimeter of the ranch. You weren't sure where they led but you decided to follow them for a bit. 

It was quite dark with the clouds covering most of the night sky so you didn't venture too far in fear of getting lost; you weren't really familiar with this area of the county. About a half hour in, you decided to loop back and wander around the grounds of the ranch instead. When you turned, you caught something out of the corner of your eye and heard a twig snap. It was far too large to be an animal unless it was a large deer maybe. You patted the knife at your side to make sure you hadn't forgotten it. Luckily you hadn't. 

Creeping forward, you scanned the trees as you went. You didn't see anything but at one point, you recognized the sound of loud breathing behind a nearby tree. Deciding to sneak up on whoever was there, you tip toed over to it and peered around the side to see the back of Jed's hair. 

You let out the breath you had been holding, asking what he was doing but he didn't reply. He spun you around quickly, grabbing your shoulders and ramming you face first into a nearby tree. Normally you wouldn't have been caught off guard like that but you didn't expect that from him. 

As he pinned you to the tree with your face rubbing against the rough bark, he grabbed your hands and tied them quickly behind your back. You fought him as hard as you could but where he had you pinned with your hands indisposed, he had the upper hand.

"What are you doing, you fucking hillbilly?" you yelled at him, still trying to make sense of what was happening. 

"I'm going to teach you a fucking lesson, just like you did to me today," he said as he spit on the side of your face. "You think you can just go and humiliate people like that?" 

"Fuck you, you had it coming," you said as you struggled against the knots. They weren't very tight and you knew you could probably get out of them. 

Jed grabbed you when he noticed what you were doing and slammed your face into the tree again. You stopped when you tasted blood on your lips. As he held you with one hand, he reached down and unzipped his pants, pulling his already erect cock out for you to see. 

You knew in that moment that you couldn't be easy on him anymore, you'd kill him if you had to. Your foot was up suddenly before you stomped it back down over his toes. He screamed out in pain as he dropped to his knees, letting you put a knee to his face. As he laid there swearing, you wrestled with the knots, finally able to get them loosened and tear the rope from your wrists. 

"Get up," you said coldly as you grabbed him by his hair and pulled him to his feet bringing your fist up to connect with his jaw. 

His body tried to collapse at the blow but you held him steady, bringing your fist down on him again. This time, you enjoyed the blood that spewed from his mouth as his head snapped back. You let go of his hair and let him drop to the forest floor, giving him a hard kick to the ribs. 

"If you ever try that again, I'll gut you like the fucking animal you are," you said quietly as you bent to look down at him. "Understand?" 

He nodded slowly, allowing you to leave him there to bleed with his dick out.

\---

"I'm just telling you what he told me," John explained to you as he sat at the edge of your bed. Apparently Jed had told him that you went crazy because he was lagging behind the other recruits.

"Did he mention he tried to _rape_ me?" you asked him as his eyes widened. 

"No, of course not. I'm so sorry that this is happened. He'll be dealt with, I can promise you that," John assured you. His eyes had grown dark. 

"It's been taken care of. I don't think he'll be giving me a hard time but I refuse to train him, John. I'm sorry." 

John gave your leg a pat and tried his best to fake a smile. "Of course." 

He stood and left without another word but you noticed his fists were clenched at his sides. 

You got up to examine your face again. There was a large rash like burn on your cheek from the tree bark and a cut at the corner of your top lip. It infuriated you to know he got the drop on you like that. Next time, you wouldn't be so trusting. 

Finally deciding to just face the music, you went outside to find your recruits, all of whom were concerned about your appearance. You assured them it was nothing and continued on with the training. 

\---

An hour went by and you were just in the middle of showing the different types of arrows when you heard someone pull into the driveway. You and the other recruits turned to see Jacob park the truck abruptly and hop out without closing the door, marching for the front door. You held out a finger to the recruits and jogged over to Jacob, greeting him when you got close. 

"Not now," he dismissed you without even looking in your direction. 

You stopped abruptly as he met John at the door. They were too far away to hear what they were saying but you saw John point to the other corner of the grounds to where Jed was sitting, apparently licking his wounds. You finally realized what was happening but all you could do was watch as Jacob barreled to Jed and grabbed him, bringing his hunting knife to his throat. 

"Jake, don't!" you yelled, not wanting to be responsible for this man's death. 

You noticed John out of the corner of your eye, holding a hand up to you as he shook his head. When you turned back, Jacob was dragging Jed across the lawn with his knife still digging into his throat; blood was now trickling down the front of his shirt. 

As Jacob pulled him along, you heard him growl through gritted teeth. His words trailed off, leaving only "touched my fucking girl" ringing in your ears. You watched in horror as he pulled Jed into the house, letting John close the doors behind them with a smile. 


	14. Chapter 14

You stood motionless, unsure what to do. You knew you couldn't go in the house but you couldn't face the other recruits either. You paced for a minute before you felt a hand on your shoulder. It was Garrett, one of the other recruits. He had always been the most welcoming to you since you arrived. 

"It's okay," he said without any further explanation. You figured he had pieced together everything at this point. 

You nodded and let him lead you to a staircase at the other side of the house, sitting you down and asking if you needed anything. 

"No, thank you. I just need a minute," you told him. He nodded and joined the other guys. They talked for a minute and then went back to their bows. 

You weren't sure how much time had passed when you finally heard the door open but you got up immediately and ran around front, checking to see if it was Jacob. 

Sure enough, he stormed out of the door, scanning the area before he saw you. 

"We're leaving," he told you as he walked towards the truck expecting you to follow. 

You looked back at the door to see John standing there with a disturbing smile on his face and then back to Jacob who was almost at the truck. You ran to keep up with him. 

"Where are we going?" you asked.

"Home."

"My stuff..." you started but he let out a sigh and you knew he wasn't in the mood. 

You climbed in next to him and he took off without another word towards the border into the Whitetail Mountains. You looked him over as he drove, taking in his hardened expression and his freshly split knuckles. You noticed blood on the front of his grey t-shirt and on his forearms and suspected it wasn't his. 

Finally, he pulled up in front of the Veteran's Center, killing the engine. You looked over at him, wondering why he hadn't taken you back to the chalet. 

"I'm not letting you out of my sight again," he said as he got out and went inside. You sat in the truck, trying to decide which emotion you were feeling. 

\---

Inside, you went to your normal room but stopped when you saw Jacob's closed door. You hadn't seen him this angry in so long and knew it was never a good idea to poke at him when he was like this but it had to be done.

You knocked on the door but he didn't answer. You knew he was inside though, you could hear him pacing in his heavy hunting boots. 

"Jake, open up please." 

"Not now," he said as the pacing stopped. 

You pushed the door open, knowing what may happen. When you walked into the room, your jaw dropped. There was blood on the floor, dripping from his knuckles. You wondered what happened but when you saw the holes in the walls, it made sense. 

He turned to you, almost seeing you for the first time, crossing the room and running a hand over the cuts on your cheek.

"Nothing happened," you told him. 

"But it could have. I should never have sent you there." 

"None of this is your fault," you said as you brought his hand up to inspect it. "Hold tight." 

A minute later, you came back with a bowl of cold water and a face cloth and towel. You tried getting him to sit at his table but he protested. 

"Just let me do this you big oaf," you told him, laying down the law. 

You took your time and washed his hands, putting pressure on a couple of his knuckles until the bleeding stopped. 

"Did you kill him?" you asked him softly as you toweled his hands and arms dry. 

"Yes." 

"That wasn't necessary," you told him, meaning it. 

"You know it was," he said quickly. He hadn't met your eyes yet. 

You took his hands in yours and brought them to your lips, kissing each knuckle gently. He watched you calmly, not pulling away like you thought he might. 

"Thank you," you said when you were finished. 

"For what?" 

"Protecting me." 

Jacob pulled his hands from yours and ran one over your cheek again, obviously beating himself up over this. "I always will." 

You wanted to say so many things but figured most of them (like when you could go home) weren't appropriate at the moment. Instead, you watched him until he finally looked you in the eyes. His expression softened a bit as you smiled at him. 

"You know we're both all kinds of messed up, right?" 

He chuckled, pushing up from the table. You did the same and before you knew what was happening, he wrapped himself around you, crushing you to his chest. You didn't know where it came from or why it surfaced at that moment but you felt yourself cry for the first time in years.

"What is it?" Jacob asked, not letting you move from his arms. 

"I'm just happy to be back I guess," you told him, wiping your eyes. You managed to push everything deep down where it came from and composed yourself again. "And I guess I may have missed you... a tiny bit." 

"I may have missed you too pup." 

You tried pulling back a bit because you wanted to watch his face when you asked the next question but he squeezed against you, not letting you move from his grasp. 

"I heard you say something to Jed before you... well, while you were taking him to the house." 

"I said a lot of things," he answered you back. 

You weren't sure how to say it without it being awkward so you just blurted it out. It was going to bother you if you didn't get it out. "You said something about him touching your girl..." 

"This isn't just sex for me anymore." 

"You said you didn't want a relationship," you reminded him. 

"I said I didn't want a relationship with those other girls. They're not you." 

You felt the tears threatening to resurface, you loved seeing this side of Jacob. It surprised you too because he wasn't one to open up all the time, even to you. 

You tried again to push back from him but he still held you tightly. "Okay Jake, let me out." 

"No," he said as he held you tighter, almost cutting off your air. 

You struggled against him as hard as you could, barely moving an inch. You screamed at him to let you go, "Dammit, how are you this strong?!" 

He laughed and picked you up, bringing you to the bed and laying you down before he slid in next to you. You curled up next to him, giving him a goofy grin. 

"What's that look for?" 

"So, does this mean I'm not only your favorite but also your girlfriend?" you batted your eyelashes dramatically at him. 

"You're such a pain," Jacob said with a grin.

"But that's a yes..." 

"Yes," he said softly. 

You felt your heart literally melt in your chest. Enjoying the closeness, you pushed into him further. Neither of you said anything else as you laid wrapped up on one another.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is just a regular ole fluff fest... I'm getting soft I guess.

The next morning, Jacob drove you home after you pestered him relentlessly. He dropped you off right at the chalet and promised he'd have John send your things. 

"You have your radio?" he asked through your open window as you closed the truck door. 

"No, it's still at the ranch. I don't think we have any extras around either." 

"Shit. Well okay... meet me at the cabin tonight at 9:00 and I'll give you your stuff," he told you as you nodded in agreement. 

"Bye Jake," you waved as he drove off. 

The night before, you were surprised that Jacob wasn't all over you like he normally was but you weren't sure what he thought happened with Jed either. You decided he was just giving you some space maybe. You'd make a point of jumping him when you got to the cabin. That reminded you to bring clean sheets. God knows what was crawling on those before you got there. 

You made your way inside and tried to creep up to your room unnoticed. You didn't have any clean clothes so after you got his blood on you, Jacob lent you one of his t-shirts. You had managed to get into your room but ran into Naomi once you got inside. 

"What are you doing back?!" she asked as she threw her arms around you. 

"Training is done," you smiled back at her. You decided not to worry her with the truth. 

"I'm so glad. I've missed you!"

"Me too. I need to get a shower though," you told her as you dug through your dresser. "I'll be right back." 

"That's not your shirt..." she finally noticed. 

"No, it was a spare they had kicking around the ranch." 

"You sure it's not Jacob's?" she asked. Fuck this girl didn't miss a thing. 

You waved at her as you went out into the hall, leaving her with so many questions. Oliver greeted you, telling you he was happy you're back before doing a double take at your shirt too. 

\--- 

After your shower, you went right back to training the recruits, cooked dinner for everyone and even offered to do the dishes. Ben commented on your great mood and you assured him it was just because you were back finally, which was partially true. 

It was now around 8:00 and you figured you should head up to the cabin. You packed your backpack with a set of clean sheets and pillow cases, an extra blanket and a couple extra candles. The electricity at the cabin had long been disconnected so that was the only way to light it. 

"Where are you off to?" Naomi asked. You had your bag on your back and were just heading down the stairs when she met you half way. 

"Just for a walk," you told her. 

"Mind if I come with? I'm bored out of my mind." 

You thought of how to let her down without being rude. You hadn't seen her in almost two weeks after all and you really should be spending some time with her. 

"Oh my goodness, just tell me you're going to meet him. I already knew... I just want you to be open about it." 

"You know I can't do that. Jacob would never want to look weak in front of your guys and he'd be royally pissed at me if I was the one to let it spill," you explained, hoping she'd understand. 

"I suppose. But you can be truthful with me... My life if boring, I need to know these things! Every kinky detail." 

"Naomi!" you scolded her as you both started laughing. "I'll tell you about him later okay? I gotta go." 

You jogged down the stairs to hear her yelling something about size. You shook your head and pushed the door outside, heading for your destination. 

\---

The cabin was dark when you got there which you expected; you had almost an hour before Jacob was supposed to show up. You quickly lit some candles and then stripped down the bed. You were relieved to see the mattress in such good shape, half expecting to see some weird stains. The sheets were on and you still had a half hour. 

You walked around the cabin, reading the sasquatch articles that were pinned on the wall as you went. Whoever lived here before was really into this stuff. It was kind of interesting. You turned back when you were done and assessed the cabin, it was nice and peaceful for a change; just a quiet corner of the world for only you and Jacob. You wished that things were less complicated like this everyday. You didn't mind your life and would never abandon the Project, even though you didn't really buy into it but part of you just wanted to have a little house somewhere and a dog maybe. Just the cliche life that most people wanted, you supposed. Jacob would never abandon his family though and you would never abandon him, so this was the life you were stuck with. 

You were so lost in your thoughts that you didn't hear Jacob come in. His arms wrapped around your waist, scaring the shit out of you. You whipped around and punched him hard in the stomach before you realized who it was. 

"Fuck, are you okay?" you asked him, holding a hand to his stomach. 

"You've got quite the punch there girl," he said as he straightened back up and laughed at your obvious concern. 

"I'm sorry. You just snuck up on me..." 

"Likely excuse," he teased as he handed you your bag. "John sent up your stuff." 

You took your bag, thanking him and set it on the counter before you turned your attention back to Jacob. He was grinning at you still. 

"I put new sheets on the bed," you pointed out. 

"I see that. I'm just delivering your bag to you though..." 

You crossed the room to him and stood on your tip toes to kiss him. It felt nice being able to show affection to him now without worrying that it crossed some boundary. Jacob picked you up as you wrapped your legs around him, letting him support your weight on his hands that were grabbing your ass. 

"Don't you have to get back?" he asked between kisses. You shook your head. "Your roomie will be wondering where you are." 

"She knows," you told him, deciding it would just be easier this way. Jacob stopped suddenly and pulled back from you, letting your feet drop to the floor. "She's not going to say anything, I promise." 

"It doesn't matter, she's shouldn't know."

"Look, I get that you have this image to uphold but Naomi has been around forever. She loves you and your family and trust me, she will never see this as a sign of weakness. She wants to see you happy," you tried reasoning with him. You knew he wasn't pleased with you. "You're acting like you're ashamed of me or something..." 

Jacob was now sitting on the bed, obviously trying to let everything sink in. He had an obvious image, one that he didn't have to fake, where people gave him respect in one form or another. Everything was planned and calculated, his hunters were well trained... he was a good leader. If you didn't know him, you would think he was unfeeling and one dimentional but you learned from being around him that he was caring and protective of his family. When it was just them, they joked around and expressed their love for one another. It was refreshing to see this side of him. Slowly, he was showing that side towards you too and you just hoped that this wasn't going to ruin what you had both worked towards. 

You bent down on the floor in front of him and laid your hands on his, gazing up at his face. "Jacob, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have but she figured it out and I couldn't lie to her." 

He pulled his gaze from the floor and studied your face for a minute before he out a palm to your cheek. You leaned into his touch, mimicking his own movements when you touched him. 

"I know, pup." 

You smiled up at him, relieved that he was that understanding. You were in no mood to argue tonight. All you wanted to do was roll around on your clean sheets. 

"Let me make it up to you," you suggested as you pulled at his belt, unfastened it and working on his zipper. 

Jacob smiled devilishly above you as he watched your movements. When his jeans were down and you had finally gotten his boots off, you kissed your way back up his thighs, keeping your eyes on his the entire way. He always seemed to enjoy eye contact when you were doing anything sexual. 

You lips brushed up to his cock that was now hardening beneath the fabric. You kissed gently, before you ran your tongue up its length. Jacob groaned above you. He impatiently pulled his boxers off and leaned back so you'd have a better view of what you were working with. 

"I'll have to agree with you Red, this is definitely your best feature," you said, referencing what he told you that first night in the truck. 

His hand was on the back of your head then, pulling you to his cock and then down its length. He didn't force you all the way down, but rather, he was just encouraging you to stop talking and get to work. 

You looked back to watch his face as his lips parted in a soft gasp as you pushed down further, inch by perfect inch, until you had reached the bottom. You felt like you were going to gag but forced yourself to supress it, coming back up for air and then sliding down his shaft again. You continued on for a few minutes, adding a swirl of your tongue as you reached the top before you pressed your lips harder around him, dipping back down. Every time you did, Jacob let out a moan that was driving you insane. It was just such a turn on. 

Finally deciding you couldn't take it anymore, you stood up from the floor, pulled his shirt over his head and then took your turn, undressing slowly. Every article of clothing that came off caused him to suck in his bottom lip and when you eventually shimmied your lace panties down your legs, his hand went down to grip his cock. You watched for a minute as he stroked it, soaking in the sight of you. 

"Lay back for me Red," you told him. 

He happily agreed, pushing back up the bed until his head rested on the pillows. You crawled after him until he stopped moving and straddled his hips, bringing yourself down on him slowly. 

"Fuck, you're so wet," he groaned as he grabbed at your hips, helping you move on top. 

"It's kind of hard not to be, knowing this is all mine," you chimed in as you lower back down. Your pace had picked up at this point to which you found out Jacob liked by the way he watched your breasts. 

"Always," he said as he pushed up from the bed to a sitting position. 

He pushed up underneath you with his hips, forcing his cock in deeper. With each thrust, the sensation of him rubbing against your walls and stretching you out around him was pushing you further and further to your orgasm. But when he wrapped his arms around you and brought you close to his chest, the feeling of his skin on yours was what finally set you off. You moaned his name and a slew of other incoherent words at the top of your lungs. 

"Louder," Jacob said into your ear. 

When you did as he asked, you knew he appreciated it. You felt his cock swell inside of you slightly and then a warmth fill your body. After a few more thrusts, he eased his movements.

"Happy?" you asked him as you ran your hands over his chest from your seat above his hips. 

"Happy," he agreed. 

You eased back off of him and laid back on the bed, trying to slow your breathing. Jacob did the same thing. 

"I have to go to John's tomorrow for supper. Want to come with?" Jacob asked when you both finally caught your breath. 

"Really?" you asked in shock. "I mean, yes of course but isn't that just for family?" 

"Yeah but I want you there so they can't say shit."

"Okay, but you have to warn them at least. I don't want to just show up at the door uninvited and unwelcomed." 

Jacob rolled to his side and propped himself on an elbow. "You always overthink everything don't you, little pup?" When you didn't say anything, he continued, "I already told them. They're happy you're coming." 

"Well, okay then. And yes, I'm a worrier... you know this so get used to it," you warned him. 

You rolled to your side now too, bringing the blanket up around your chest and reached for the rabbit's foot around Jacob's neck, rubbing it with your thumb. He watched you for a minute before he reached up and pulled it over his head, bringing it overs yours. It hung between your breasts, tickling the skin. 

"Now everyone will know," he said as he looked down at it. 

"I'll hide it under my shirt..." 

"No, I want them to know. I want them to know if they lay a finger on you then they're touching what's mine," his voice trailed off but you knew what would happen to those people. 

In that moment you felt relieved to not have to hide this anymore. You wanted everyone to know that he was yours too but you also felt deeply touched. Jacob was your protector and he didn't take that lightly. You knew you had found a way into his heart.


	16. Chapter 16

"What are you doing?" Jacob asked you from the driver's seat of his truck. 

"I'm fidgeting, what does it look like?" you answered him as you stared out your window, picking at the hem of your button down plaid shirt. You had decided to wear your jeans, a tank top and an unbuttoned over shirt and of course, your rabbit's foot. 

Jacob laughed at your obvious distress, "You've met them all before. There's nothing to be nervous about." 

"Yes, I know... I'm being ridiculous. I just... I wasn't sleeping with you before. Wait, do they know that? That's a no-no right? I happen to like my skin..." you couldn't stop yourself from rambling. It was a trait of yours that you could never get rid of when you were worked up. 

You watched out the window as you passed another silo, knowing you were getting close to the ranch. 

"Yes, I'm sure they know and no one is going to touch you. I don't care if they like it or not," he assured you.

You turned and smiled at him, glad that he had your back. Really, you shouldn't be overly worried anyhow. The Seeds preached against lust but you knew for a fact that John had at least one lover and Joseph had Faith, who you were sure was his... well, whatever she was. The rules never seemed to apply to them. 

As you pulled into the ranch, you were happy to see a few more guards on duty this time. The ones you had trained all smiled or waved to you as you passed. You were happy they were still kicking around. 

"Ready, pup?" Jacob asked as he parked the truck. You nodded and went outside to meet him, letting him place an arm around your shoulder. 

The door was shut but Jacob pushed it open and let you inside before he followed close behind. Joseph was sitting on the couch when you went in but stood when he saw you to hug you both. 

"I'm so happy you've joined us," he told you when he finally let you out of his arms. 

You smiled back and thanked him for letting you crash the party. He chuckled at that. When he saw you glancing around, Joseph explained John and Faith were in the kitchen, finishing up dinner but for you both to have a seat while you waited. 

"John's men had nothing but high praises for you when I spoke with them earlier. Thank you for assisting in their training," he thanked you before turning to Jacob. "I can see why you're so proud of her." 

Jacob glanced down at you and smiled, patting a hand on your knee. "I'm lucky to have her." 

"Yes, indeed. Tell me, how is the recruiting going in the mountains?" 

Jacob explained the measures he had been taking to increase their numbers, details on training and some conditional experiments. He was excited for some new additions that had flying experience in the past and could offer assistance to Ben and Oliver who were the only Chosen flying his planes at the moment. Joseph seemed very interested and appreciative of all of Jacob's hard work. He also complimented you through the conversation on your help with the Whitetails and getting a better idea of where their bunker may be. 

"I'm sorry, we shouldn't be speaking of this now. It's our family day after all. Is there anything new in your personal lives?" Joseph asked. 

"Same old," Jacob said. You nodded in agreement. 

Joseph took a second to look at the necklace around your neck but didn't say anything other than, "Well, no news is good news I suppose." 

"Dinner's ready," Faith said from around the corner suddenly, in her normal singsong voice. When she saw you, she practically skipped over, grabbing your hand and leading you to the table. "You'll sit by me." 

Of all the Seeds, Faith was the one you knew the least about. You had met her twice in your life and the instances had been short but she always seemed so pleasant and went out of her way to speak to you. Truthfully, you felt bad for her. You were almost positive that she didn't really buy into the Project and "The Father" but you couldn't say for sure. 

"Jacob, I'm stealing your date but I'll give her back to you after dinner," she told him as you sat next to her at the table. 

"Have her home by 9:00," he said with a smile, sitting across from you. 

You smiled back at him. He seemed so much more at ease here than he normally did, even around you. You could tell he cared deeply for his family. 

"Oh, you'll love what we're having for dinner," Faith told you, still holding on to your hand. "John made a roast duck and we had the most perfect crop of squash and potatoes from the farm down the road. It smells fantastic." 

"Sounds amazing," you agreed. "I've never actually eaten duck but I can't wait." 

"Even if you don't like it, you know you'll have to compliment me anyhow right?" John asked as he carried the platter with the cut up meat and vegetables on it.

"I know the drill," you told him. 

He smiled at you as he set the platter on the table and took his seat next to Jacob. Joseph sat at the head of the table. After you all bowed your heads for a quick prayer, everyone dug in. Faith was right; everything was amazing. 

"This is really good," you told John and Faith, thanking them for the second time. You hadn't had a good meal like this in awhile. 

"Well, I suppose Jacob's only feeding you rations," he said before turning his attention to his family. "When she came down here, she was skin and bone. Poor thing." 

Jacob rolled his eyes as he grabbed a second helping. 

"Oh, were you staying with John for awhile?" Faith asked as she leaned closer to you. She always seemed to be super touchy. Maybe that's why Joseph liked her so much, all of the brothers were touch starved for sure. 

"Mmm hmm," you said as you finished swallowing what was in your mouth. "I helped train some of his guys for a bit." 

"Oh, that's so exciting. I love seeing a strong woman who can hold her own. I'm sure my brother appreciates that too. I've never seen him happier," she said cheerfully. 

"Faith, let us not be presumptuous," Joseph reminded her. 

"Oh, yes of course Father. I assumed incorrectly perhaps," she said. 

"No, you were right," Jacob said, surprising you. 

Everyone at the table stopped and turned their attention to Jacob, waiting for him to say something else but he just leaned back and popped another piece of duck into his mouth and winked at you. 

"That's wonderful," Faith beamed at you as she took your hand again. 

"Yes, now that he's releasing some... pent up energy, perhaps we can hope for a more talkative Jacob, hmm?" John said as he elbowed Jacob's ribs. 

"Okay, okay... I'm sure you're making our guest feel uncomfortable. Faith, would you mind taking the dishes to the kitchen for us please?" Joseph asked. 

"Yes, of course Joseph," she said, smiling as always. 

"I'll help you Faith," you told her as you collected some of the dishes in front of you. She protested at first but you insisted and she finally gave in. 

As you put the dishes in the sink that Faith was filling with soapy water, you overheard your name from the next room. You stopped suddenly and motioned for Faith to stay quiet for a minute. She nodded, knowing what you were doing. 

"I'm happy for you Jacob, if anyone deserves to have someone, it's you. I just worry because I've never seen her at service. I'm not sure if she believes in the Word," Joseph was telling his brother. 

"Why does that matter?" Jacob asked. You could tell he was annoyed by the tone in his voice. 

"I only worry about her loyalty to the Project. She's a strong willed woman and if she doesn't have faith, what is keeping her loyal to us?" Joseph asked. 

"She's completely loyal to Jacob, you can tell that, Joseph. And she's good for us... she's a force to be reckoned with," John said, coming to your rescue. You smiled slightly at that. 

"Eli would take her in, in a second with her background. She could offer him insider information." 

"That's bullshit and you know it. She may not buy into everything you preach but she's been loyal to me since day one and that has never wavered," Jacob told him. 

"Jacob, if something happens and this union were to... break, why would she owe you loyalty then?" Joseph reasoned. 

You tapped your fingers on your thigh, annoyed with everything you had been hearing. You were hoping his family would be happy for him rather than questioning everything. Maybe Joseph had a point but it still bothered you to hear it. 

You turned away then, unwilling to hear anymore. Faith was already washing the dishes so you grabbed the drying cloth and started on putting them away. 

"He doesn't mean offense to you personally," she said quietly. "All he thinks of is the success of the Project, no matter the cost." 

"I know... I probably shouldn't have been eavesdropping anyhow." 

"I would have too. It's difficult to hear stories and untruths about you, I know that all too well," she continued. "Jacob is very lucky to have you. I can tell that you have a kind soul. You would never hurt him." 

"Never intentionally," you told her. "He deserves to have at least one person who won't." 

Faith passed you another dish as she refilled the sink with some of the dirty dishes from the other counter. 

"Yes, you're very right. You are lucky to have Jacob as well. Honestly, of all the brothers he has always been more of a brother to me. He's very protective of the people he cares about, it's his way of showing it. I know he would never mistreat you." 

"I know," you said truthfully. You smiled down at the dish in your hand. 

Faith touched your hand again and smiled widely at you. In that moment, it dawned on you that maybe Joseph wasn't giving her the same respect.


	17. Chapter 17

On your way out the door, Joseph gave you another hug. You did your best to fake a smile but pulled back quickly from his embrace. You weren't so quick to pull away from John, remembering how he stuck up for you earlier. 

"Thanks Faith, I hope I get to see you soon," you told her as she hugged you as well. She held on to you tightly, telling you to radio her so you could spend some time together. 

"Okay, that's everyone," Jacob said as he took your hand and led you to the truck. You noticed he wasn't quite himself. 

"Everything okay?" you asked when you were safely out of John's driveway. 

"Mm hmm," he said but you knew he wasn't. 

You circled your fingers over the scabs on his knuckles and thought of what Faith had told you about Jacob's protectiveness. You promised her you'd be there for him and wanted him to feel comfortable enough to come to you when he was hurting. 

"Is this about what Joseph said earlier?" 

Jacob turned his face to yours suddenly, surprised that you knew. He shook his head but then he let out a sigh and gave in, "You shouldn't have heard that. He doesn't know you well enough yet, that's all." 

"He's right though... I mean, if we break up, I can see why he'd be worried about me jumping ship. But the thing is, I was loyal to you before we were together... Before the thought even crossed my mind. Nothing will ever change that. Well, unless you chest on me. So just don't be a dick and we'll be okay." 

"I vow to never be a dick... in that way. I can't promise not to harass you or tell you what a pain you are on a daily basis though." 

"Good, I actually enjoy that." 

"Don't be angry with him. Leave that for me," Jacob said, watching your face again. 

"I'm not. I get it, believe me." 

He smiled slightly as you drove along for awhile longer in silence. When you were nearing the chalet, Jacob pulled up one of the side roads and headed to your cabin. 

"Can I keep you out past curfew?" he asked as he put the truck in park but kept it running, awaiting your answer. 

"Yes. I have all night," you smiled, knowing what your night was going to entail. 

Jacob killed the engine and jumped out of the truck. When he caught up to you in front of the truck, he kissed you while backing you against the cabin door. You searched frantically for the door knob, finally opening the door and nearly falling on your ass. Jacob wrapped his arms around you tightly, holding you upright as he still had his lips on yours. He pushed you further into the cabin as he slammed the door behind him, pushing you to the bed and crawling between your legs as you laid under him. You wrapped your legs around his waist firmly, pushing your hips up to meet his. 

"You never say no, do you?" he asked as he pulled away from your mouth and worked his way down your neck. 

"Never." 

"No matter what I ask of you?" he asked. His lips were now on your breasts, kissing at them through the fabric of your shirt. 

"What are you asking?" you asked, pushing up a bit to look down at him.

"Nothing yet... just trying to figure you out." 

Jacob pulled your shirt down your arms and your tank top over your head before he moved down again, this time kissing your stomach, just above the button of your jeans. 

"Don't move," he told you and pushed off the bed and across the room. 

You wondered what he was doing until you saw a flicker of one of the candles on the counter, and then another and another. When he turned back, you had your pants off and had moved your fingers under your panties. 

"You shouldn't have left me," you told him as he stared at you with fire in his eyes. 

"I needed to see you," he explained, still watching your movements. "Fuck, you're not a good girl at all are you?" 

You smiled deviously at him as you brought your hand back out and moved your panties down your legs, kicking them towards him where he stood. Jacob didn't flinch when they almost hit him, he was too busy watching your body. 

"Come here," you told him, squeezing your thighs together so that his show was over. 

He undressed quicker than you had ever seen him before and was on you in seconds, hands and mouth everywhere. When he realized your bra was the only thing standing between you, he ripped the thin fabric in the front and pulled it off of you. 

"Hey, I don't destroy your shit," you scolded him as you pulled him closer, taking his earlobe in your mouth. 

"My satellites," he reminded you. "Which I still owe you for." 

"You never discipline me though... that's why I get into so much trouble." 

Jacob let out a low growl as you reached your hand down between you and wrapped your hand around his cock. You had managed to get a couple strokes in before he pulled away. You pouted slightly at him. 

"You're right," he agreed. "I think it's time for me to start." 

Jacob pushed up and moved to the bed next to you, kneeling and grabbing at your waist, rolling you over. You pushed up on all fours but he pushed you back to the bed, laying you flat. His hand was on the back of you head, keeping your face turned away from him. 

You waited impatiently when you didn't hear him move from his spot; you fully expected him to have been between your legs already. Suddenly, his hand was on your ass, smacking it hard with his open palm. You moaned at the sensation it sent through you. It wasn't too hard but there was a bit of a sting. 

"Jake.." you sighed into the sheets. They smelt like him already. 

His hand rubbed across your reddened skin gently before he brought it back down with a snap. You jumped slightly at the sting but he didn't stop, spanking you three more times on the other cheek. 

"Are you going to behave yourself now?" he asked quietly. You knew he was probably impatient to fuck you. 

"Probably not," you told him, pushing your ass from the bed and swaying your hips a bit, showing him what he was missing. 

"That's my bad girl," he breathed, bringing his hand down again. 

This time it actually hurt. You let out a whimper but refused to tell him to stop. Jacob must have known though because he bent down and kissed over the fresh welt, before moving to the other side. His other hand reached around your waist and pushed between you and the mattress, settling on your clit. His fingers moved expertly as they circled you in the most perfect way - not too fast and not too hard. He definitely paid attention to your cues and knew exactly what you needed. 

The mixture of pain from his slaps and pleasure from him playing with you, was the perfect mix. It didn't take long for you to cum and when you did, it was the most exquisite release. You heard Jacob gasp behind you when he pushed his fingers inside of you, gauging your readiness for him. 

"I'll behave," you told him, turning your head slightly to look back at him. He had his hand around his cock already, stroking it roughly. He grinned back at you and you felt like you might just come undone again at the sight of him. 

"Good pup," he whispered as he brought himself between your legs. 

You pushed yourself up to all fours to make it easier for him but he reached down and pulled you up to your knees and back against his chest. One hand wrapped from behind you around your waist as he used the other to center himself and push his length inside out you. You were already dripping wet so he slid in easily. Once he was in, he brought his other hand up to grasp your throat, pulling your head back against his. 

Normally he was so gentle with you even when he was pretending not to be but tonight, the pace he set was maddening. He hammered into you quickly and harder than he ever had before. And with his hands grasping you so tightly, you had no choice but to take it. 

"Red," you moaned. "Cum for me." 

You heard him grunt against your ear as his grasp tightened at your throat. His pace had become more erratic and you knew long before you told him to, that he was already on the verge. You pushed against him the best you could, trying to time his movements. 

"Tell me you're mine," he said panting against your cheek. 

"I'm yours Jake, only yours," you told him between moans. You felt your walls start to clench around him and knew you were going to cum again. "Oh, fuck..." 

Your fingers raked against his arm that was around your waist as you came hard against him, calling his name. 

"You take it so well, don't you?" Jacob said against your neck as he sucked at your skin, marking you for everyone to see. You weren't sure where this side of him was coming from but you thoroughly enjoyed it. 

"Mm hmm," you agreed and forced your muscles to contract around him, squeezing him tightly. 

He gasped at your control, letting his hand release from your throat and rested it instead on your chin as he pulled your face around to his. He crushed your lips with his as he moaned against them. A second later you felt him cum, filling you completely. After a minute, he released you and let you settle back to the bed, completely spent. He plopped down next to you, letting out a satisfied sigh. 

"Come here," he said as he held out his arm. 

You scooted over, curling into him and realizing this was the spot you felt the safest in the whole world. You ran your hand over his chest, resting a palm finally over his heart. 

"You make me so happy," you admitted into his skin, not expecting anything in response but just needing to tell him that. 

"I want you at the Center with me," he said in return. 

You pushed back a bit so you could look up at him. You weren't sure what you had done or if this was even a punishment but waiting for him to explain. 

"You're too far away. I need you to be with you," he told you. 

Your mind went to all kinds of questions: Who would train the recruits if you weren't at the chalet? What would you be doing at the Center? But you decided that none of that really mattered. Nothing mattered but him. 

"Me too," you told him as you leaned up to kiss him again. 

You rested your head back on his shoulder and enjoyed the calm between you like you always did.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sappy, sappy, sappy.... Ugh, I just can't stop!!

You woke to see the dim flicker of the candles still lit on the counter. Jacob was laying next to you on his back, a blanket wrapped around you both. You weren't sure what time it was but you figured it was late if he was sleeping. 

You laid back, deciding that if Jacob was okay staying here tonight, you would be too. It was nice to lay here with him anyway. 

Your eyes shut under their heavy lids as you relaxed, thinking of what it would be like living at the Veteran's Center full time. Just as you started to doze off, you heard a moan next to you. You stopped and listened to another pained noise come from beside you.

Rolling over, you assessed Jacob who was now twitching in his sleep. You placed a hand on his chest, trying to calm him as he slept but his movements grew more violent at your touch. 

"Jake, it's okay," you tried whispering to him, not really sure if you should wake him or not. "It's okay." 

His eyes flew open and within seconds, he was grabbing your hand and pushing you back to pin you to the bed. You didn't recognize the person who was holding you there. His eyes were filled with nothing but rage as he reached a hand to your throat and squeezed tightly. Each second felt like hours as you felt your airways start to close. You clawed at his arm, trying to free yourself from his grip but he was too powerful. 

"J-jake... Please..." you sputtered weakly. 

You watched as recognition washed over his face and he gasped as he pulled his hand away. He was on his feet immediately, backing away from the bed and scanning the room like he had no idea where he was. You did your best to calm yourself, not wanting to startle him and crawled from the bed and over to him. 

"It's okay," you told him as you held your palms out to him in surrender. He stopped moving then, letting you reach out for his face. "It's just me." 

"Pup..." He whispered as he leaned into your hand. He stayed there for a second before he looked down at your throat, realizing what he had done. "Are you okay?" 

"I'm fine. Everything is okay... Come back to bed with me." 

He ran his fingers over your throat, sadness filling his eyes as he touched the sensitive skin. He shook his head as he dropped his hand. 

"I have to go," he said as he pushed past you and started to collect his clothes. 

"Jake, please. It's okay. I'm okay..." you trailed off, watching him dress without looking at you. You reached out for him again, forcing him to meet your gaze. "I don't want you to go." 

Jacob stared down at you, still panicked. You could tell he was conflicted on what to do. "I can't hurt you again." 

"You won't," you assured him but he tried pulling from you again. You tightened your grip. "I know what you've been through and I know what might come along with that. This is my choice and I want you to stay, please. Let me be there for you." 

Jacob sighed as he brought a hand to cover yours, "You are the most stubborn woman I've ever met." 

"Damn right, so you know you can't win." 

He smiled ever so slightly and let you lead him back to bed, undressing him again before you did. Once you were both laying down, you wrapped the blanket around you and pulled Jacob into your arms. You ran a hand over his back as you laid a kiss on his forehead. After a long while, you finally felt the muscles in his back relax. 

"You're the only thing that calms me," he said into your shoulder. 

"I'm not just a pretty face you know," you teased, still running your fingers across his shoulder blades. 

"No, you're my everything," he said softly as you felt him drift back off to sleep. You closed your eyes, feeling a tear roll down your cheek for the broken man that laid against you. 

\---

The rest of the night was nightmare free, much to your delight. You both slept soundly until the next morning, letting the sunrise wake you up. It felt so nice waking up beside him in your peaceful little cabin. 

"Morning handsome," you greeted him when he opened his eyes. 

"Morning," he said back as he laid his lips to yours. 

He brought a hand up to inspect your neck, running a thumb over what you were sure were bruises. He peered up at you, "I'm sorry." 

"It's not your fault, and I'm okay. We don't need to talk about it again," you told him as you brushed his mess of red hair back. "When are you moving me in?" 

"Whenever you're ready." 

"Okay, let me finish up a couple things and get packed. Maybe in a couple days?" you asked. 

"Sure," Jacob agreed. You noticed he was quiet this morning. 

You decided to do the only thing you knew would cheer him up. You reached down under the blanket and reached for him but he grabbed your hand before you could. 

"I just need some time," he explained as he brought your hand to his mouth and kissed your open palm. 

"Oh. Okay... I'm sorry," you told him as you pulled out of bed and grabbed your clothes, figuring you should probably get back home. 

Jacob watched you for a minute before he got up to dress himself. When he was done, he turned to you. "I'll drive you back." 

"No, I'm fine thanks. I need some air anyhow," you told him, trying to shake your disappointment. You knew this wasn't about you and you felt selfish for being bothered by it. "Radio me when you're ready to get me okay?" 

Jacob nodded and followed you out the door. He stopped in front of his truck when you did. You turned around and held his gaze for a minute. The same sadness that was in his eyes last night was still present. 

"I'm going to miss you...a bit," you told him, forcing a smile. 

"This isn't about you," he said as he crossed the distance between you and pulled you into his arms. He buried his face in your hair, holding you tightly. 

"I know," you said and you knew that was the truth. Your soldier had more broken pieces than you were able to hold together for him and that broke your heart. You didn't know where it came from or why you couldn't stop yourself from saying it but the words spilled out of you like water, "I love you, Jacob."

He pulled you closer, almost as if he thought you might slip away if he were to give you an inch. One hand held your back and the other pushed the side of your face into his chest. His face was resting against the top of your head when you heard him whisper back, "I love you too."


	19. Chapter 19

Three days had gone by since the last time you saw Jacob. He had sent two Chosen to the chalet with word that they would be replacing you. You explained to your housemates that you were going to the Center to help with the Whitetails going forward but they all knew. 

Naomi was the first to notice your rabbit's foot, going absolutely ape shit when she found out you were officially a thing now. You swore she was ready to start planning the wedding. Oliver mentioned it to you the next day, asking if it meant what he thought it did and when Ben overheard, he told you he assumed you'd been together the whole time he knew you. That kind of blew you away. 

You were going to be sad to leave but you knew there was more to your life than training day in and day out. And you'd still see them, even if it was just to wave at their planes as they looped through the skies. 

You had spoken to Jacob the day after you left the cabin and he told you to drive over whenever you were ready; your room was all set up, so you figured today would be the day. Your replacements were up to snuff on what you had been doing with the recruits so far and your bags were packed and already in your truck. After one last walk to your special spot in the woods, you piled into the vehicle and took off for your new home. 

\--- 

When you arrived, Kyle met you downstairs. You had called ahead to Jacob to let him know you were on your way and assumed that him sending Kyle was his idea of a joke. He helped you carry your bags upstairs to the room you were set up in the last time you were here. 

"Thanks, I appreciate the help," you told him after he set the last of them on your bed. 

"Anytime. Glad to see a familiar face around," he smiled as he left you to unpack. 

You scanned your room, trying to decide where to put everything. You noticed the tiny dresser that was there last time was now replaced with a larger one and there was a lamp on the nightstand. You had everything you needed. 

After you unpacked your bags and stuffed the empty ones under your bed, you headed over to Jacob's room to see if he was there yet. His room was empty when you had peeked in earlier and it was still that way when you checked this time. You turned to leave as something caught your eye. It was a hand written letter, addressed to Jacob. You turned away from it but couldn't help yourself. 

"Jacob, 

Thank you for all of your help yesterday. I appreciate you giving me so much of your time! I love your hands on approach. 

Becca"

Uhh, who the fuck was Becca? And what was hands on exactly? Your temper started to get the better of you before you could think about this rationally. You forced a deep breath and put the letter back on the table. You went back to your room, trying your best to calm down. You hadn't seen Jacob for a few days and you didn't want to spoil your reunion. Besides, you trusted Jacob, just not all of the women in the project. All of the brothers had women who were almost obsessed with them; maybe this Becca was one of them. You'd find out soon enough.

Finally, you talked yourself down enough to open your bedroom door again. Jacob spun around when he heard the door, smiling when he saw you. Before you knew what hit you, he was across the hall, picking you up off your feet in an embrace. 

"Miss me?" you asked against his cheek. 

"Mmm hmm," he said, letting you down and crushing your lips with his. 

You reached a hand up to his face, letting him lean into it like he always did. The jealousy you had felt had disappeared, overshadowed by the joy at seeing him again. 

"Is your dresser big enough?" he asked as he nodded behind you. 

"It's perfect, thanks. I'm glad you put me in this room, I like it here." 

"Gotta keep you close," he said. "I have some things to do today but I'll need you tomorrow to scout, ok?" 

"Anything you need," you told him. He looked down your body at that, placing his hands on either side of your waist. 

"Fuck, I only have a few minutes," he said as he moved his hands up and to the sides of your breasts. 

"You sure?" you asked, placing your hands over his and moving them to the front of your chest. 

"Oh, pup... don't do this." 

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't be trying to pressure you," you told him as you removed his hands and moved them around to your ass, pushing yourself against him. You let one of your hands trail between you and down to the front of his dirty jeans. He was already starting to harden. 

"Fuck it," he muttered as he pushed the door closed behind him and pulled off your clothes frantically. 

"We'll be quick," you told him as you grabbed at his as well, pulling his pants off as he struggled with his boots. He didn't let you take his shirt off but of course, he had yours off already. 

Jacob picked you up and plunked you down on the long dresser that was now filling one side of your room. You instinctively wrapped your legs around him as he put two of his fingers into your mouth, instructing you to open up. When his fingers were soaked, he moved them down between your legs and inserted them, curling them the way you liked. His lips pressed against yours greedily, eventually pushing his tongue against yours, exploring your mouth. You moaned against him, letting him know you were ready. 

You watched excitedly as he pulled his fingers back and put them to his mouth, tasting you as he smiled devilishly back at you. You couldn't wait any longer, grabbing his cock and bringing it to you, you snapped your hips against his, forcing him to stretch you as he entered. He tried to ease in but you kept pushing him forward until you had all of him right where you wanted.

"This is all I've thought about since I saw you last," you told him as you moved together in perfect rhythm. 

"You should have gotten here earlier," he panted into your ear. 

You thoughts suddenly went to "Becca" and agreed that you probably should have gotten here earlier. You felt the familiar sting of jealousy creep up on you, distracting you and knew you couldn't stay like this. You pushed Jacob away and hopped off the dresser as he gave you a puzzled look. Pulling him by his hands, you brought him to the bed and laid him down before jumping on top, pinning his hands above his head. You knew he could always push back but he entertained you and stayed still as you pushed down on his cock again, feeling him scrape against your walls in the most delicious way. 

Once you were convinced he wouldn't try to move you, you leaned back until you were upright and bounced on top of him, holding your hands to his chest for support. 

"I love when you do that," he said from under you. He had since moved his hands and was now squeezing your hips.

Your gazed down at him, suddenly feeling so insecure about everything. It was crazy how quickly you could be unraveled by a simple note that probably meant nothing. Still, you knew you had to mark you territory. As you felt your body tense, you leaned back down and sucked on Jacob's neck hard in a spot you knew would be visible. When Jacob tried pulling you back, you bit at his skin roughly, bringing a low groan from his throat. Satisfied the job was done, you leaned back again and brought Jacob's hands to your breasts. He moaned again as he kneaded at you. 

Finally, you felt your walls contract as you came quickly around him, hoping for a moment to relax but Jacob thrust into you from the bottom, not giving you even a second. In less than a minute, he was cumming; his hands grasping at anything they could as he turned his face to the pillow and let out a slew of moans. When you felt his body relax, you eased off of him.

"Okay, you can leave now," you told him as you leaned down and kissed him, finally climbing off and letting him up. 

Jacob laughed, "Thanks boss." He pulled his clothes back on and ran a hand through his hair. "I'll be back later to finish this." 

You nodded happily and gave him one last kiss as he hurried out the door and down the hall. Once you lost the sound of his footsteps, you turned back to your room and dressed again. You felt a bit better but that nagging feeling at the back of your mind was driving you insane. You knew it was crazy because it would only make you more angry but you wanted to read the letter again, hoping maybe to make sense of it. 

You peeked down the hall and when you were satisfied you were alone, you crossed to Jacob's room again. To your surprise, the letter was gone. You looked around for it in the stack of papers but didn't find it. As your did a visual sweep of the room, you finally saw a crumpled up piece of paper in a nearby trash bin. When you pulled it out, you saw it was the very note you had been looking for. 

Suddenly your jealousy was replaced by guilt. You put the letter back in the bin and left without looking through anything else. You wouldn't allow yourself to do that again.


	20. Chapter 20

Supper time came quickly and you were thankful for it, your stomach had been growling for an hour now. Jacob still wasn't back so you decided to head down to the mess hall anyhow and hope maybe Finn or Kyle were around to keep you.company. 

There weren't a lot of hunters in the Center relative to the size of the place, so there were plenty of tables available when you got inside. You weren't sure who was responsible for cooking around here but when you got to the buffet type layout they had a few dishes; you noticed it was ration type food. You picked something that looked like macaroni and cheese and sat at a table off to the side. You glanced around for someone you might know but didn't see anyone. 

Half way through your meal, Finn and Kyle found you and sat at your table without asking for permission. 

"Naomi misses you already," Finn told you as he stuffed a forkful of something greyish into his mouth. 

"I miss her too," you said honestly. "I don't know what I'll do without her constant chatter." 

"We'll make up for that," Finn told you. He glanced at Kyle who smiled back at you. "What does Jacob have you doing anyhow?" 

"He mentioned something about scouting tomorrow. We think we may have narrowed down the area of the Whitetails so I'm hoping we'll follow the lead." 

"I think we may be joining you then," Kyle said. "It's about time he gut those rebels." 

You watched as he stabbed at his plate, realizing that he may not be as stable as you thought he was. Yes, you would kill them too if you had to but you didn't take pleasure in it. It was just a task that had been given to you that needed to be done. 

"Well, hopefully this all ends soon," Finn chimed in as he nodded at a couple women as they passed the table. They both nodded back before taking a seat a couple tables over. 

"Chosen?" you asked, nodding over to them at Finn. 

"Maybe soon. That's Meryl and Becca, they're doing some training here," Finn explained. 

Your heart stopped when you heard Becca's name. You peeked over at the women again, realizing they were both pretty but the one on the left was stunning. Her blonde hair flowed down her back in soft waves and her face was innocent and housed doe like eyes. 

"Oh, I think I may have spoken with one of them before. Which one is Meryl?" you asked, trying to stay casual with your question. 

"The blonde fox is Becca. Meryl's the brunette," Kyle told you. You groaned internally at his words. What an ass. 

Looking back at the girls, you looked over Becca again, feeling a mixture of emotions again. You pulled your rabbit's foot from under your t-shirt and let it hang low on your chest. You didn't know if you had anything to worry about but decided to let your anxiety take over you. Your thoughts were interrupted by Kyle and Finn bickering about the way Kyle spoke about women. From what you could tell, Naomi had definitely picked the right guy. 

You stared ahead while they had their discussion, resisting the urge to stare at the other table. Your daze was broken when Jacob came into view, sitting across from you and next to Kyle at the table. He plopped his plate down and took a long swig from his canteen. 

"Boys," he nodded. Finn and Kyle stopped immediately and greeted him back. He turned to you and smiled. "Pup." 

"Red, you really need to do something about this," you told him as you pushed your macaroni around on your plate. "I'm going to waste away." 

Kyle and Finn stared at you in disbelief. No one talked to Jacob with anything but respect and they definitely didn't call him "Red". Jacob didn't say anything but grinned at you as he took a bite of his dinner. 

After a minute Jacob stopped eating and looked back at you, "Anything else you'd like to complain about?" 

"Hmm, well the lighting in here is rather dim and truthfully, I could stand for decor in my room maybe. I mean, would it kill you to have some curtains on the window?"

Jacob laughed and reached over to pick at your plate. You pushed it towards him so he could finish it up. 

"Have you guys known each other a long time?" Kyle asked, obviously questioning the dynamic of your relationship. 

You looked at Jacob, trying to remember how long it had been. "A little over two years maybe. But he made me go through training for well over a year and a half." 

"You needed it," Jacob added in. 

"That's the truth. I had never even held a gun before. I was okay with a bow but I definitely needed training. Jacob trained me himself for the most part." 

"That's really cool," Finn said. "I figured you must have been friends for awhile, with the matching necklaces and all." 

You wanted so desperately to make a joke about matching bestie necklaces but Jacob answered for you, "That's mine." 

You weren't sure if he was referring to the necklace or to you but either way, you were happy he didn't hide it. You smiled over at him as Kyle looked between you both, piecing it together. 

"Finn said he may be coming along with us tomorrow," you said before things got awkward for Jacob. You knew he wouldn't want to talk about it outright. 

"It'll be the four of us and Collins. There's a lot of ground to cover so we'll split up," he answered. "We should head out early and expect to be out most of the day so pack accordingly." 

Everyone at the table nodded in agreement and continued to eat in silence. When Kyle and Finn were done, they excused themselves and cleared their dishes, telling you they would see you in the morning. 

"Did you send him down to meet me earlier on purpose by the way?" you asked him. 

"I thought you were buddies," he told you as he stacked the dishes neatly in the middle of the table. 

"Great friends... Except he's apparently a grade A douchebag. We should just try losing him in the woods tomorrow. Maybe he won't be able to find his way back." 

"Behave yourself," Jacob scolded. "You haven't even been here a full day yet." 

"Ugh, but that's so boring." You threw yourself against the table dramatically and stretched your hands out over the edge, inches from Jacob's chest. "What am I telling people when they ask about us anyhow?" 

"Whatever you want."

You peeked up from the table but didn't move your body. "You're sure?" 

Jacob nodded, slapping at your hands. "Up." 

You sat back reluctantly and scanned the room. Most of the tables were now empty except for two in the corner and the one with Meryl and Becca, who were now getting ready to leave. Becca stopped as they passed your table and let her friend continue on without her. 

"Hi Jacob," she said. Her voice was light and airy but quiet. 

You watched as Jacob looked up and nodded at her, "Morris." 

He always addressed his people by their last names except for you and the others living in the chalet. You assumed it was because he saw you all more than the others and had grown closer in the process. 

"Kyle invited me to join you tomorrow morning, he thinks it would be good experience for me. I just wanted to clear it with you beforehand," she explained, never even taking a second to look in your direction. 

"I can't see a problem," he told her. "Be out front for 6:00." 

"Okay, perfect! I can't wait," she smiled sweetly at Jacob who gave her a quick smile and turned back to you and your obvious dirty look. 

Becca looked over at you then too. You turned when you saw her and smiled brightly at her before introducing yourself. She greeted you back wearily, looking back at Jacob who was still watching you and then excused herself from the table. You watched her run up to her friend and the two disappeared. When you turned back, Jacob was grinning at you. 

"Yes?" you asked him, knowing he had something on his mind. 

"Nothing. You ready to go upstairs? I'll let you bounce on top for a bit." 

"Oh, how very kind of you," you rolled your eyes at him. "Fine but only if you beat me there." 

You bolted from the table and out into the hall as fast as you could with Jacob casually walking behind you.


	21. Chapter 21

The next morning, you woke up feeling exhausted. Jacob had fucked you half the night until you finally kicked him out, needing some sleep. At 5:00 he came back into your room and woke you up, having to drag you out of bed when you refused to get up on your own. 

"Get a shower with me," he told you as he slung you over his shoulder and headed across the hall and into the bathroom. 

"You're not giving me a choice," you told him when he set you down and started undressing you. "Just a shower okay? I need time to get ready." 

He put his hands up as a way of showing he would be hands off and then got to undressing for the shower as you ran the water. You stepped in when you were happy with the temperature, having Jacob join you and close the shower curtain around you. 

He picked up the soap and ran it over your back, lathering your skin and then letting his hands travel down to your ass, squeezing roughly. 

"We're just showering," you reminded him. 

"I know," he agreed as he removed his hands and worked them down the backs of your legs. "I'm just making sure you're clean. 

His hands moved back up and around your waist and up to your breasts. He rubbed the soap over them completely, spending a bit longer than he needed to on them. You were about to say something else but he dropped his hands and moved them again, washing your stomach and hips before he soaped up between your thighs. His fingers moved gently against your folds, never pushing any further. 

"Jake..." 

"Cleaning," he said as he pushed against you. You felt his cock press into your ass, reminding you that you had an option if you wanted it. 

"I think I need you to soap me up a little more down there," you told him as he worked away at teasing you. He pushed his fingers further and rubbed them against your clit. 

"There?" he asked against your shoulder. When you moaned in response, he sank his teeth into your skin. 

"Right there," you told him in a raspy voice. You pushed yourself back against him and ground your hips against him. "Maybe a little harder though." 

You watched him smile as his cheek was pressed against yours and he happily did as you asked, pressing two fingers against you in perfect rhythm. 

"Still not clean," you told him, encouraging him to continue. 

"Hold on," Jacob told you as he pulled his hands away. 

A second later, he was pushing you against the wall of the shower, giving you time to put your hands out in front to rest on the tiles. You felt him grab your hip with one hand and guide his cock into you with the other. When he was satisfied with the position, he brought one of his hands around to play with your clit again. You always loved when he did both, it always got you there so quickly. 

"You're so tight," he moaned behind you. You were gradually learning that he liked to talk during sex, always complimenting your appearance or your skills in whatever you were doing at the moment. He was always his most talkative when you were going down on him. 

"Is this better?" you asked as you squeezed your walls around him, bringing a gasp from his lips. 

"Fuck, don't do that." 

You smiled back at him innocently and squeezed harder, causing him to thrust into your faster. His hands worked at you frantically, trying to catch you up to him. 

"Spank me?" you asked him. He had done it a couple times when he was pretending to be angry with you and you had taken a real liking to it. The twinge of pain mixed with the feeling of everything else always overwhelmed you in the most wonderful way. 

You didn't have to ask him twice, his hand coming down on you with a loud snap. It sounded worse than it felt and you let him know by staying silent. He got the hint and smacked you again, much harder this time. 

"Oh God," you called out. 

After two more slaps, you felt yourself start to tense. You pushed back against Jacob, meeting each of his thrusts before you came loudly, calling his name and then whimpering it over and over into the water.

"Come here," he said as he turned you around and pushed you to your knees, lining his cock up to your lips and parting them as he pushed to the back of your throat. "You have no problem taking that do you?" 

You shook your head as best you could, keeping his gaze as he spilled into your mouth. His hands held your face in place as he finished. When he finally pulled out, he helped you to your feet and laid a kiss on your lips. 

"K, let's get cleaned up," you reminded him. 

\---

After the shower, Jacob gave you some time to dry your hair and get dressed. When he came back to get you, you were just pulling your boots on. He grabbed your bow and quiver, and your small backpack for you and handed them to you when you finishing lacing them up. On your way out the door, you slipped your rabbit's foot on again. 

"I'm going to pair everyone up today," he told you as you made your way downstairs. "Do you want to stick together?" 

"As much as I'd love that, you probably shouldn't play favorites. I don't want them thinking I'm your pet." 

"You are, but you're right. I'll grab Pert maybe," he said. That was Kyle's last name you remembered, hoping Jacob would take your advice and leave him behind in the woods. 

Outside, Kyle and another hunter were waiting. You assumed he was the "Collins" Jacob had mentioned. It was still a couple minutes before 6:00 so they others weren't technically late. Finn was the next to arrive, apologizing for being late. Lastly, Becca finally joined you. It looked like she spent all morning getting ready. You wondered if she knew she's be in the middle of the woods all day. 

"Ok, I'm splitting us up into three teams. Make sure you have your radios on at all times in case you need backup and stick to your designated areas. I shouldn't have to say this but stay hidden," Jacob addressed the group. 

You watched as Becca placed a hand on Jacob's arm as she took one of the maps that had been circled. When he glanced up at her, she asked "Jacob, would you mind if I come with you? I'm kind of nervous where it's my first time." 

You rolled your eyes and pulled another of the three maps out of Jacob's hands, waiting for his response. 

"I'm taking Pert but any of the others are more than capable," he told her. You couldn't help but smile when her face fell in disappointment. 

"We can go together," you offered. Maybe you'd push the bitch off a cliff while you were out there. "I know the woods pretty well." 

"Thanks pup," Jacob said as he passed out the last of the maps. He turned his attention back to Becca. "You'll be in good hands." 

She nodded and walked over to you as everyone else broke up into their pairs and took off towards their designated area. You looked down at your map, trying to pinpoint the best route to take to remain hidden. 

"I think he should head this way," you told her, pointing east. You pointed to the map. "We'll take a shortcut through here and then set up a place to leave our bags." 

"Won't they see them?" she asked. Clearly she had never been out scouting before. 

"We'll hide them in the trees. It'll be fine. You have a gun or something?"

She bent down and picked up her rifle, nodding her head. You picked up your bow too and nodded towards the trees, motioning for her to follow you. 

After you had walked for a few miles, you came across the spot you had pinpointed on the map. You searched around and found a tall pine with thick branches, perfect for tucking your packs on top of. You were sure you could remember the tree too when you came back later on. You stepped back about ten feet and ran for the tree, jumping and grabbing onto the bottom branch, easily pulling yourself up. After you climbed another couple branches, you decided you were high enough up. Your bag rested perfectly against the trunk. 

"Throw yours up," you whispered down to Becca. She took it off and threw it up to you, missing the first time but getting it high enough the second. You rested her bag next to yours and climbed back down. 

"I can't see them," she commented, searching the tree. 

"Good. Okay, I think we should head along this ridge here," you told her, pointing down at the map again. "We should be mostly hidden there and will be able to see a lot of ground below us." 

"Sounds good," she agreed as she followed behind you again, letting you take the lead. 

You started to feel guilty half way to your destination. Becca had been cooperative and polite this whole time with you. She seemed genuinely sweet and besides, you knew Jacob sometimes did offer hands on training with his recruits if he thought they might later be one of his Chosen. Maybe she was just genuinely thanking him for his help. You decided you needed to let go of this jealousy. 

"Can I ask you something?" she asked when you arrived to the ridge of rocks high above the forest below. You nodded. "I heard Jacob call you pup earlier... is that a nickname most people call you?" 

"Nah, he's the only one. My friends use my real name." 

"Oh," she said as she bit the inside of her cheek. "Where did he get that?" 

"He said it's cause I'm annoying as a puppy, always getting into trouble and generally being a pain in his ass. I guess it kind of fits." 

Becca laughed. "He definitely has more than one layer doesn't he? When I first met him, he terrified me but he's been fair with me and he gives me help when I need it." 

You had to remind yourself again that you were giving up the jealousy but it still threatened to surface. You decided you could use this opportunity to get some information out of her. 

"What's he been helping you with?" you asked her. 

"I've only gone hunting a few times with my father when I was younger so my aim was okay but he's been helping me refine it. And he showed me how to read maps." 

Oh, apparently they had been spending lots of time together. You frowned slightly as she talked on about how he was more patient than she thought he would be. 

"Yeah, he's a good teacher. He taught me everything I know," you told her, trying to point out your relationship without coming right out and saying it.

"Definitely makes the job easier when you have a good teacher. And it doesn't hurt that he's so easy on the eyes either, does it?" she said, smiling at you. 

You nodded but didn't respond. You knew if you opened your mouth, you'd tell her to fuck off. Without an explanation, you slid through the trees quietly with your binoculars, looking for any signs of activity. Becca followed your lead and tip toed along behind you. She was louder than you were but it wasn't enough to be concerned. 

Hours later, you had scoured every inch of your area but came back empty handed. Frustrated, you both headed back to your backpacks to grab something quick to eat. You really hadn't talked much as you scouted but now that you were sitting down, Becca became a really chatterbox. 

"What did you do before you came here?" she asked, chewing away in her dried fruit. 

"I did the training at the Stone Ridge Chalet. There were four of us who were in charge of it. Sometimes I helped Joseph and John if they need help with their recruits." 

"Sounds like Jacob really trusts you," she pointed out. "You must have been one of his Chosen for a long time." 

"No, just about six months but I've been here training for over a year before that." 

She leaned back in the grass after she finished her snack, leaning on her elbows. Her pale hair dusted the grass behind her. 

"I hope I won't be training for that long. Jacob said he sees potential in me so I'm hoping he'll promote me soon. I'm going to ask him to keep me close by," she said. 

"Why's that?" you asked as you clenched your jaw. She didn't notice. 

"Well, I... I probably shouldn't be telling you this, but maybe you could put a good word in for me where you're friends with him? I just really don't want to be far away from him, you know? I feel like all he needs is a good woman in his life to love on him like he deserves. He just hasn't realized it yet." 

You pushed up from the ground then, unable to speak. You knew you shouldn't be mad, she probably didn't know about you but all you wanted to do was grab her by the throat. She called after you to ask if you wanted her to follow but you shook your head. 

Her words replayed in your mind over and over, heightening your emotions; as much as you tried to calm down, you couldn't. You knew you'd have to get out of these woods now or you'd have a meltdown. 

"Jacob?" you asked as you held your radio up. 

"Pup, did you find something?" 

"No, not a fucking thing. We've searched every square inch of this place. Do you need help over there?" 

"No, we're in the same boat. We'll head back for the day and regroup," he said as he signed off. 

You headed back to find Becca and told her of the plan, grabbing your bag and heading for the Center without another word.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So.. it happened again. I got a bit bored with this fic and started another (it's posted already) so the updates might not come daily like they have been. 
> 
> Also.. wondering people's thoughts on this: the deputy is coming in the next couple chapters. Do you like the idea of Jacob falling for the deputy and then you dealing with the after math, potentially switching sides? Or should it be a happy ending? I honestly can't decide so I'd love some input. Thanks all! ♥️

When you and Becca arrived at the Center, everyone else was already there. You blamed her silently for making you so slow getting back.

The table was set up in one of the spare rooms on the main floor; Jacob normally used that to meet with his people. Everyone was seated, leaving two seats on one side and one one the other, next to Jacob. Becca of course stole that one, leaving you to sit next to Finn. 

"We didn't see anything," she told him as she sat down, leaning over the table slightly as she turned to him. 

"No one did," Finn chimed in. "Cold trail." 

"We miscalculated something," Jacob said as he got up and walked to the far wall. It had several papers and photos pinned to it as well as a large map of the area. 

"We didn't give them enough credit," you added. Jacob turned, waiting for you to continue. "They're smarter than that. They would have known we'd be looking for a pattern." 

"Fuck," Jacob muttered as he looked back to the map. He studied it for a long moment before nodding in agreement. "You're right." 

"That's bad news for us... the rest of the mountains are far harder to navigate," Becca added in. 

"Someone radio up to Stone Ridge and get them to do a couple fly bys alright? We'll start with that," Jacob instructed.

He squeezed the bridge of his nose as he studied the map, looking for something to pop out at him. No one else said anything at the table but tried their best to see a clue in the paper as well. As much as you hated to admit it, Becca was right. This was a definite set back. 

You pushed back from the table, unable to stand the silence anymore. When you got to the front of the room with Jacob, you put a finger to the left side of the map. 

"I'll take a quad and head up here tonight. I'll ask Oliver to circle this area," you told him, pointing to the east. 

Jacob nodded, "I'll go with you. Everyone else can leave. I'll let you know the plan tomorrow." 

You watched everyone happily take their leave, exhausted from their day's work and happy to have some down time. Collins stayed behind to tell Jacob he would like to check out a previous area where he had a sighting in the past and would go in the morning, to which Jacob agreed. After he said good bye to you both, Becca stepped forward. You turned away to look at the map again, unable to watch her obvious flirting with your Jake. 

"Oh Jacob, I was hoping maybe you could help me again tonight with my target practice? I always learn so much from you," she asked, clearly playing the helpless damsel role. Didn't she know Jacob liked the exact opposite?

"I can't tonight but you really only need to practice now. I showed you all I could yesterday. The rest comes with patience," he explained. 

"Okay, I'll do that. Could I tag along with you tonight maybe? I'd love to help if I could." 

"Thanks Morris, but we've got it covered. Go rest up for tomorrow." He turned to you, "Coming pup?" 

"Yep," you said as you trotted to keep up with him. He was already almost at the door. 

"Keep up," he scolded as he reached behind you and slapped your ass. He gave you that same loveable grin he always did when he was teasing you. 

You reached a hand up to his cheek and turned to look at Becca over your shoulder, satisfied at her expression. 

\--- 

When you got to the spot you had marked on the map, Jacob pulled the quad over behind some bushes. You wanted to drive but he laid down the lay. Jacob Seed would not be seen on the back of a quad apparently. You gave in and let him win that one. 

"The trail looks like it ends half way up," you pointed out. "We should have brought some grappling gear." 

"Yeah, you're right. Well, let's go scope it out at least." 

Jacob grabbed your shared backpack and followed you up the side of the mountain. The trail was steep but manageable if you were used to the mountains. Sure enough, it ended after ten minutes or so of walking. You scanned the area but there wasn't another way up unless you had a grappling hook. 

"Well, fuck," you muttered, disappointed at your poor planning. 

"We'll come back tomorrow," Jacob assured you as he looked around with you. "Want to sit for a bit?" 

"Yeah, sure," you agreed as you dropped down to the dirt below you. Jacob pulled off his back pack and joined you.

"How'd you make out today with your new buddy?" he asked with a weird tone to his voice. 

You looked up at him and his expression of amusement, trying to figure out what he was getting at. Jacob turned his expression to the sky, not giving any hints. 

"Seems nice," you said, deciding to be reasonable. 

"Oh, so you like her?" 

"I don't know her," you told him. You refused to lie. 

Jacob rummaged through the backpack and pulled out some jerky and his canteen of water, handing you some. You ripped into the meat with your teeth, savoring the saltiness of it.

"I was thinking of moving her room next to mine. She doesn't like the one we have her set up in," Jacob said, still not looking at you. 

You slapped his chest hard, finally figuring out what he was doing. "You ass!" 

Jacob laughed, finally facing you. "Oh pup, you can never hide your emotions can you?" 

He was absolutely right. Lying and pretending to like someone was never easy for you. You'd rather be upfront with someone if you could but in Becca's case, you tried to be nice so Jacob wouldn't realize how jealous you were. You didn't want him to think you didn't trust him. 

"I thought about pushing her off a cliff and saying she fell," you told him. He laughed harder at that. 

"I knew that wasn't going to go over well," he said. 

"She told me she hopes you keep her around cause you need a good woman to love you or some bullshit," you scoffed. "Is she always all over you?" 

"Yes," he nodded. "I've never given her a reason to think anything would happen but she doesn't give up." 

Hearing him say that made you feel so much better. You could deal with it if it was just one fangirl after him, as long as it was one sided. And the way Jacob gave her a not so subtle hint tonight really showed you where his loyal was. 

"Back at the Center... that was the most satisfying moment of my whole life," you beamed at him. 

"Figured you'd like that." 

You both sat back, enjoying the night air and your salty treat, swapping the canteen between you. You loved how easy life was in this moment and how happy you had become with the most unlikely person. Everyday you watched him open up a bit more and the side of Jacob that was hidden before was emerging. In that moment, everything else just kind of faded into the background and you were happy for it.


	23. Chapter 23

"He got word that law enforcement is coming. I'm not sure how many but we need to be there," Jacob told you as he put his radio down. 

"It was bound to happen, Jake. I just really think we need to get out while we can." 

"I'm not leaving my brothers," he said sternly as he leaned against his dresser. "We'll have to do whatever we can to stop this." 

"So you're just going to go and kill a bunch of cops now?" you asked him, standing from his bed. "This whole thing has gotten way out of hand. If your brothers were smart, they'd abandon this and start their life somewhere else, same as we should. We'll both go away for murder, you know that don't you?" 

"You won't go away, I would never let that happen." 

"You can't stop that Jacob," you said quietly, sitting back down with a sigh. You knew you'd never be able to convince him to walk away. You refused to go to prison, you'd kill yourself first so it was really starting to look like your days were numbered. 

"I understand if you want to leave. I can't stop you," he told you. 

You looked up at him, watching his expression; it was a mixture of pride and regret. 

"You want me to go?" you asked. 

Jacob shook his head, "Of course not but I would never force you to stay, as much as I want to. I need to help protect them, you understand that don't you?" 

"Yes." You both sat in silence for a bit before you continued, "I'm not leaving you. I promised to give my life for yours if I had to and I'll stick by that, for more than once reason." 

Jacob sat on the bed next to you, rubbing his hands through his hair and letting out a long sigh. You put your hand on his knee as he took his time to gather his thoughts. 

"I'm going to need you at the compound," he told you. 

You nodded, "Of course." 

\---

The compound was packed when you and Jacob arrived. Followers lined the road to the church and piled inside, waiting for Joseph to start his sermon. He had informed everyone via television broadcast that he needed a show of support tonight and they did not disappoint. 

When you made your way inside, Faith hugged you tightly, looking fearful. John patted you on the back before he nodded at Jacob, taking a seat on one side of him while you took the other. Joseph stood at the front of the church, waiting for everyone to quiet down. You noticed he was shirtless, still wearing his yellow glasses and with a set of rosary beads wrapped around his wrist. His eyes were full of something different than you had ever seen before. 

"Brothers and sisters," he said loudly, quieting everyone before he continued. "We have worked hard for what we have accomplished here so far but there are those that would take all we have earned away from us. They want to take our freedom. They want to take our supplies, our weapons, our plans for a New Eden..."

As Joseph rambled on, you heard the doors open behind you and five people in uniforms walked in. One held a piece of paper that you were sure was a warrant. Sheriff Whitehorse walked closely beside him along with three deputies. Once Joseph noticed them, his voice grew loud and he took a step towards them, showing his lack of fear. 

"Joseph Seed! I have a warrant for your arrest on the suspicion of kidnapping with the intent to harm. Now, I want you to step forward and keep your hands where I can see 'em," one of them said loudly, holding out the warrant. 

You watched as Joseph's siblings raised from the pew and joined him on stage, standing behind him. You and the other followers stood with your weapons in hand. 

Joseph assured you all that everything would be okay and you watched as Joseph was taken from the church. You turned to Jacob but he just stood with his arms crossed confidently. The followers started to trail behind the deputies, screaming for the Father. You listened to their shouts from outside, looking to Jacob again for instructions. 

"Take them in alive," he said to you. 

You nodded and ran after Joseph with your bow drawn, a bliss arrow in your hand. By the time you got outside, there was a helicopter in the air. You assumed Joseph must have been in there when you saw how his followers climbed up the sides with little concern for their own safety. A few of them fell from the door as the helicopter raised further from the ground. You followed close behind, trying to aim for the pilot but losing site. You brought your bow up again when you suddenly noticed smoke coming from the engine, twirling the tail of the bird around and bringing it to the ground off in the distance. You ran full tilt for the crash. When you arrived, you saw a couple people running for the trees and Joseph still hanging from the helicopter. Two followers were helping him out. 

"Are you okay, Joseph?" you asked when you neared. 

"Yes, don't let them get away," he ordered, hurrying you along. 

You raced through the trees with a couple of other Chosen and a few of Joseph's followers. The sheriff and one of the duties was close by and you knew someone else could easily bring them in so you turned you attention to the deputy you knew to be Staci Pratt; he was far off in the distance, running much quicker and off the course of the others. 

After a few minutes of sprinting, he started to slow. You watched from the bushes as he pulled his gun out and hid behind a tree, catching his breath. Patiently, you crouched and waiting for him to move. Your bow was ready when he did. 

After several long minutes, he stepped out from his hiding spot and was off again, running through the trees with you close on his heels. You knew he hadn't spotted you yet and that was definitely to your advantage. You raced to the right of him, pushing yourself faster, hoping to cut him off ahead. When you got to the point where you were neck and neck with him, you realized he wasn't going to stop again so you wouldn't have a chance to aim properly, rather you'd have to try to shoot him down on the move. 

You steadied your bow as best you could, slowing your run to match his and aimed a few feet in front of him. By the time it reached him, he was running into it, taking it in the thigh. You stood watching him until he dropped before you retrieved his gun and dragged his body through the trees, back towards the compound. When you arrived, you noticed three others including the sheriff and what appeared to be a Marshal, tied up and laying on the ground in front of the church. You dropped your deputy down beside them. 

"Good work," Jacob told you, putting a hand on your shoulder. 

"Where's the last one?" you asked, glancing around. 

"She's gone," Joseph said as he paced in front of the the law enforcement who lay at his feet. "We need to find her and bring her in." 

You nodded along with the other hunters. It shouldn't be too hard to find another person even if they did cross one of the borders. Joseph's numbers were growing daily and there would be nowhere to hide. 

"John, I need you to set the bait for our friend. Jacob, please prepare your people and give them whatever resources they need. If anyone sees our deputy, I need her alive" 

With that, everyone dispersed. Jacob grabbed the deputy you had tranquilized and propped him into the truck between you as you drove. He was eerily quiet the entire way.

"Before you ask, I don't know what we're going to do with him," Jacob said, knowing you felt uneasy about all of this. 

"I wasn't going to ask. It's none of my business," you said, running your fingers over your rabbit's foot, trying to remind yourself of where your loyalty was. 

\---

When you got back to he Center, Jacob said he would take care of Staci but that he needed you to rally as many people as you could and give them the run down on what happened. He trusted you to come up with a gameplan on how to track down this deputy. You weren't surprised when he asked; Jacob had been relying on you heavily to help since you arrived. 

After you gathered everyone together and had them pile into the meeting room, you let them know what had happened and the situation you were now in. 

"From the crash site, I'm guessing she'll either go to the Valley or up into our territory. We haven't had any sightings yet but she'll resurface. I'm calling in air support from John's people and I'll have our two Chosen sweep the area with their planes as frequently as possible. Faith has offered some boats to patrol the river." 

"Should we send more judges out? Do we have anything of the deputy's to track?" someone asked from the back of the room. 

"Good idea. Can you please make a call and arrange for their training to be rushed along as soon as possible. The more wolves we have, the better. Unfortunately we don't have anything of theirs to track," you told them. 

You waited for any further questions before you continued, "I'll need you to split up into pairs and sweep the area. I've broken the map down into regions so let me know where you'll be and stay within your designated zone please. Joseph wants the deputy brought in alive, no exceptions. If you bring me a dead body, Jacob will find out and we know what'll happen." 

Everyone nodded solemnly, not wanting a punishment at the hands of their leader. When you were satisfied that everyone knew what they were doing, you excused the group. On the way out, you watched as Becca approached. You wanted to roll your eyes but forced a half smile. 

"Is Jacob okay? I just noticed he wasn't here and I'm worried," she told you. 

You stood for a moment, trying to compose yourself. Apparently this girl really was as stupid as you thought she was. Jacob was right, she just didn't quit.

"He's fine. He's just busy," you told her, turning to leave before she interrupted. 

"Is he in his room?" 

You turned back wide eyed at the audacity of this little bitch. You could cut her some slack before, reasoning that she may not realize he was with you but now... she was just being a moron. You closed the door to the room and stepped towards her, never breaking eye contact. 

"Even if he is, I don't think it's a good idea for you to be going there, do you?" you waited for her response but she looked at you questioningly. You continued, "I'm warning you and only the once, Jacob is mine. Every inch of his body, is mine. So if I see you looking for him or reaching out for his arm like you do, remember that you're handling my property. John showed me a lot when I went to stay with him and let's just say I'm looking forward to taking my pound of flesh from someone. Do you understand?" 

"I.. I didn't think you were exclusive. I mean, I figured you were sleeping together but I just thought he would be open to other people," she tried to explain. 

"Did he ever give you an indication of that? Because he told me that you won't leave him the fuck alone and that he had never led you on." 

"He's just... I thought where he was helping me train that he wanted... I won't do it again." 

You turned and walked out the door without another word, you were sure she had heard you loud and clear now. And if she didn't, you knew what you had said to her wasn't just an empty threat; you'd be stopping her one way or another.


	24. Chapter 24

It only took the deputy two days to start wreaking havoc. She started in the Valley but stayed near the border before she moved north and things started to escalate in Jacob's region. John boasted it was because he had put so much pressure on her but no one really knew why she moved into your region. Even after John sent out a television broadcast with one of the deputies that was captured, she still proceeded further into the Whitetail Mountains. She destroyed some of the wolf beacons at first and took out some judges and a few followers. No one seemed overly concerned until one of Jacob's strongholds was overthrown and prisoner vans started disappearing. Now Jacob was starting to get stressed out. It was easy to miss if you didn't know his mannerisms because of his calm and confident exterior but you knew he was losing sleep and he hadn't been as intimate with you lately either.

"I need you to bring her in," he told you one morning while you both laid in his bed. He had let you stay with him last night but hadn't touched you. 

"I will," you told him, not having to ask who he meant. "I promise I'll have her here by the end of the day." 

You placed your head on Jacob's chest and wrapped an arm around his waist, enjoying a few minutes of contact with him. You missed the connection you had before all of this happened but you were more worried for Jacob than anything. His night terrors were worse than ever and he was constantly distracted. You even missed your playful banter that no longer existed. 

"I know you will pup," he said into your hair and then pushed away from you and left the bed, crossing to his closet to get dressed. 

You gave him a quick kiss and left him be while you got dressed yourself and mentally went through a checklist of what you'd need to get this done. It wasn't going to be easy, especially now that it appeared the deputy was working with the Whitetails. Shit was really hitting the fan. 

After you were dressed and packed up with your bows, bliss arrows, binoculars and a radio, you headed downstairs to gather a few people to help out. Everyone was instructed to take an area and scout for any trace of her but the mission was clear - she was meant to be brought in alive. After you radioed up to the chalet and arranged for everyone there to take their planes out to help search, you took off on foot. You weren't sure why you had chosen the area you did but something about it had stuck out to you on the map so you chose to follow your intuition. 

Hours had passed before you finally got a call on the radio of an attack at the PIN-KO Radar Station. It was close to the ranger station that was attacked a short while ago so it made sense for her to chose that location. Luckily you had pieced that together beforehand and were already close by. You stole a nearby quad and headed up the mountain trails, stopping a mile from the station and continuing on foot. 

Sure enough, when you got to the location, Jacob's men who were guarding the outpost were dead already. You took out your binoculars and watched from the hill above as a small figure in the distance ran between buildings, machine gun in hand. You had seen the pictures on the wanted posters already but even without that, there was no doubt that you had found her. You took out your radio quickly and cancelled the air patrol, not wanting to spook her but rather lull her into a false sense of security while you hunted her. 

You watched as she continued the search the area and then proceeded to destroy the radar satellites. Again, you let her cause her mayhem for now, not wanting to risk losing her again. You would only have one shot at this and you knew patience would be key. You would stalk your prey until she dropped her guard and then you'd have your chance. 

After the deputy picked up her radio and talked for a bit, she sat on a nearby crate and waited for quite awhile. Finally, a couple of trucks appeared and people with guns hopped out. They crowded around her, cheering or patting her on the back. The whole thing made you sick really; she thought of herself as a hero and perhaps she was but there was no regard for the people she had murdered in the process. There was no remorse as she stepped over their lifeless bodies, only pride.

When she was apparently satisfied that there were enough people set up to watch over the station, you watched as she left on foot, trailing her way back down the mountain. You waited a couple minutes before doing the same, always keeping a safe distance from her. As you navigated the mountains, you closed in on her quickly. She was much slower getting through the terrain than you were, no doubt not being used to it. 

Suddenly there was a crackle on her radio. She stopped to listen as Jacob's eerily calm voice came over the radio, addressing her. 

"There's someone out there, pretending to be a soldier. They are killing our brothers and sisters, and putting this Project in jeopardy. I want this coward to know that they have my attention. My hunters are coming for you, there's nowhere you can run." 

You grinned at hearing his voice and knowing that he said the last part in full confidence of you and your abilities. Your desire to bring her in was higher than ever, wanting nothing more than to please Jacob. 

When the broadcast ended, the deputy spun around and searched the woods around her. You ducked down quickly behind a bush, escaping her gaze. She stood motionless for a moment but didn't seem rattled. 

This was the moment, you realized. This was the perfect moment to drop her. You pulled your bow up quickly and without a second thought, your arrow was off and headed for her shoulder. A second later you watched as she reached a hand up and staggered around, gripping the trees as she went. You walked confidently out of your hiding spot now, knowing there was no reason to hide any longer. By the time you reached her body, she was passed out. 

\---

"Jake?" you called down the hall as you headed for his room. 

You had Finn help you load the deputy into one of the cages out back and searched the area for Jacob but didn't find him. The last place to look was upstairs. 

When you neared his room, you heard a tapping and realized he was in there even though he didn't call back to you. You peeked in to see him at his table, one hand raking through his hair and the other tapping at a map that was spread out before him. You waited for a minute but he didn't look up. 

"Jacob?" you asked again, not wanting to startle him. He looked up but didn't say anything. "We need you downstairs. One of the prisoners is asking for you." 

You had chosen not to tell him flat out, but rather for him to see for himself. He nodded and gave your a half smile as he went by, patting your shoulder on the way. 

\--- 

The day passed and you didn't see or hear from Jacob but figured he was busy. You had radioed the other hunters to let them know you had caught the deputy, to which they were all relieved. They had been feeling the pressure too. 

You decided to relax for the rest of the day. Knowing Jacob's plan for the deputy and Eli, you knew there was no point in searching for the Whitetails today. You got something to eat for supper and chatted with Finn and Kyle for a bit, radioed Naomi and got a shower. 

It was close to midnight now and you were beat. You decided you couldn't wait up for Jacob any longer so you crawled into bed and fell asleep much quicker than you had lately. 

\---

You were suddenly woken in the middle of the night. You tried squinting through the darkness but couldn't see anyone but you knew they were there; you could feel someone laying next to you. A second later, a hand pushed past the waistband of your pajama pants and rubbed against you through your panties. It took you a minute to realize what was going on in the foggy state you were currently in. 

"Jake?" you said, hoping you were right. 

"You're a warrior," he whispered into your ear as he moved closer to you. "Do you know how happy you've made me?" 

You smiled, knowing he was proud of you, "No, but you could tell me. I like having my ego stroked." 

"Mmm," he agreed quietly. His hand continued to rub against you, a little harder now. "You've always been my favorite, even from day one. I've never met a woman as strong as you, as capable." 

"I'm sure I wasn't your favorite when I didn't know what the hell I was doing," you said before you cut yourself off with a moan. "Fuck, that's good." 

Jacob kissed your shoulder and moved his hand up and under your panties, reaching back to your clit. You sighed at the feeling of his callused fingers touching you expertly. 

"You were, even then," he said. "Why do you think I spent so much time training you?" 

"Cause..." you stopped to let out another moan as he quickened his pace. "I didn't give you an option?"

Jacob stopped for a minute to continue his movements against you, bringing his lips to suck on your earlobe and then down your neck. "Because I was in love with you." 

You placed a hand over his quickly, wanting to stop him for a minute so you could make sure you heard him correctly. That was nearly two years ago when you first started training and he had never said anything or even given you a hint that he might feel that way. 

"What? Since when?" you asked him, holding on to his hand firmly when he tried to push it back between your thighs. 

He stopped and pushed up a bit on the bed to look down at you. You couldn't quite make him out in the darkness but you could see his outline now that your eyes had adjusted somewhat. 

"Remember that time we were in the woods and you nearly shot me with an arrow?" 

"Oh my God, yes... that was horrible. I didn't know it was you at first." 

"You yelled at me for sneaking up on you instead of apologizing. Most people would never have the balls to do that... that's when I knew," he explained. 

"Jake, that was so long ago. Why didn't you tell me?" 

He shrugged and wriggled his hand out of your grasp and pushed his hand back down to his task, circling your clit with two fingers. Before you could say anything else, he leaned over and kissed you roughly, pressing your teeth painfully against your lip. You pulled at him, bringing him on top of you as he pulled his hand back and rested it in the bed above you, keeping the majority of his weight off of you. 

"I love you Red. That'll never change," you said as he bent down to kiss you again. 

He smiled against your lips and started to pull at your clothes. It had been awhile since you had been this close to him and it was exactly what you needed in this moment. For once, everything was back to normal.


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short chapter with not a lot of content... Sorry folks!

The next morning you woke up earlier than you would have liked. Jacob was still sleeping peacefully next to you so you made your way out of bed as quietly as you could, grabbing your clothes and heading to the bathroom. You weren't sure what was wrong but you woke up in the middle of the night to the worst wave of nausea. After you laid awake watching the room spin for a bit, you drifted back to sleep but now it was hitting you again. 

You leaned over the toilet bowl, waiting to throw up but nothing happened. Everytime you tried to stand, the feeling swept through you again though and brought you back to your knees. You hovered for what felt like an hour before it finally subsided enough for you to stand fully and head back to your room. You tried your best to crawl back in bed without waking Jacob but his eyes opened as you settled back down next to you. 

"You okay?" he asked, studying your face. 

"Yep, all good," you told him as you leaned back against the pillows. 

"No, you're not. What is it?" he asked as he sat up and ran a hand through your damp hair. Your whole face was covered in sweat from a heat that was burning below your skin. 

"I'm just not feeling the best," you assured him. "I just need some sleep." 

Jacob watched you for a minute longer, continuing to brush your hair from your face but finally nodded, "I have to go. Keep your radio on." 

He bent down to give you a kiss with a concerned look spreading across his face. You had to tell him at least three more times that you were fine before he finally left, telling you he would send someone up with some water and toast for you. After telling him to go, he finally slipped out. 

You laid back on the bed after he exited, trying to push the feeling of nausea out of your mind but it was no use. You ran to the bathroom again, this time throwing up until everything in your stomach. Even when the bowl filled with bile, the feeling didn't go away. You cursed as you washed up and headed back again, finally falling asleep again. 

When you woke up, you felt a lot better but the lingering feeling from this morning was still there slightly. You decided to get something into your stomach when you noticed your breakfast on the nightstand but only got through half of it before you felt the threat again. You decided it was best not to test your luck. 

You laid back and tried to compose yourself enough to get up and start your day but ultimately you fell back to sleep. 

\---

When you woke up, it was after lunch time. You couldn't believe you had slept so long but you were happy for it. You felt much better, just a little weak. 

After you grabbed another shower, you dressed and headed down to the mess hall. Finn was sitting at one of the tables so after you grabbed some soup, you headed over to chat with him. Much to your relief, Kyle wasn't with him for a change. 

"There's the hero," he beamed up at you. "I bet the boss is some happy with you." 

"As happy as Jacob can be," you said with a chuckle and took a spoonful of soup. Even though it wasn't appealing to eat, the feeling of having something in your stomach finally was a relief. "What's on the go for today?" 

"Jacob asked us to do some light sweeps but nothing crazy. I think the deputy is his first order of business and maybe now that they've been captured, the Whitetails will lay low for a bit. Want to join me?" 

You nodded and smiled back at him as you both finished up your lunch and headed out for a bit. 

\---

"But she never lets me skip service," Finn continued his story as you both made your way through the trees, keeping an eye out of anything that might be worth investigating. 

"No, she's a big Joseph fan," you agreed, speaking about Naomi. "Big fan of yours too of course." 

"I hope so," he said before he trailed off and got quiet. 

"What is it?" you asked as you stopped walking. 

Finn stopped as well when he noticed you and finally spoke, "I love her, you know? I've told her as much and I don't know how long we'll have before the Collapse. What if we don't make it to the bunker in time? Life is so short." 

"That's true," you agreed, not wanting to argue with him about Joseph's prediction. You didn't buy into it for a second. 

"I want to marry her," he said as he finally pulled his gaze from the ground and looked to you for your reaction. 

You couldn't stop yourself as you grabbed him and pulled him into a hug. You knew Naomi wanted nothing more than that too. Even though they hadn't been together very long, she told you ever time you spoke how much she loved him and how amazing it would be to have a family. Naomi wasn't in the Project for any other reason than her faith and you knew she wanted a normal life at some point with a husband and two and a half kids, or whatever the normal statistics were. You were so happy to know she'd be getting even a small part of that. 

"I'm so happy for you guys," you told him as you held on to him.

"Don't be yet," he warned when you finally pulled away. "She might not say yes." 

"Of course she will. Oh, you have to ask her right away! I can help you set something up if you want?"

Finn agreed and you went over the details as you continued your patrol, talking happily about his plans for the wedding and what would come after. His excitement melted your heart in the most adorable way. 

\---

That night after your patrol, you decided to skip dinner when you started to feel off again. It wasn't as bad as it was this morning but you definitely didn't feel right. All you wanted to do was sleep and you couldn't understand why, you hadn't done anything overly exhausting today. 

When Jacob finally made his way upstairs, you were starting to nod off. He brought you a glass of water and ran a hand over your forehead for a temperature at least a half dozen times, even though you didn't have one. 

"It's just a bug," you told him, slapping at his hand as he brought it to your forehead again. "Or maybe the terrible food they're serving around here." 

"You need to take it easy. I can't have you getting sick and dying on me," he said as he looked down at you from his seat on the edge of the bed. 

"That's rather dramatic," you laughed. "And besides... my life purpose hasn't been fulfilled yet. I haven't annoyed you nearly as much as I was meant to." 

Jacob laughed before he let out a sigh, "Oh pup... you've done more than your fair share. Want me to leave you alone?" 

You shook your head and scooted over on the mattress, patting a spot next to you. Jacob undressed and slipped under the blankets with you. You meant to curl up next to him but dozed off again before you could, unable to keep your eyes open.


	26. Chapter 26

Jacob woke you the next morning, wanting to check on you before he left for the day. You felt much better than you did yesterday, thankfully. You told Jacob you planned on watching the Elk Jaw today, worried that it might be attacked soon. He agreed that was a good idea. It was relatively close to the other stations that were overthrown so it made sense that the Lodge would be hit next. 

He told you a bit about the deputy and how the conditioning seemed to be working on them. He planned to let her go soon, hopefully leading him to Eli. 

You both had breakfast together, and then split up to go your separate ways. You watched Jacob as he walked down the hall to the right of the kitchen and smiled, knowing he was back to his old self. You looked around for a bit to see if anyone was around to come with you but couldn't find anyone except for Becca who now avoided you like you had the plague. That was fine, you were more than okay on your own anyhow. 

You packed up one of the spare trucks and headed towards the Lodge, keeping an eye on the road behind you to ensure you weren't followed. When you arrived at your destination, you got out and talked to some of the hunters, letting them know you'd be helping guard with them today. They of course knew who you were and what you had accomplished with the deputy so they were more than happy for your assistance. 

After you wandered the grounds for a bit and pointed out a couple weak areas around the perimeter that could use some extra guards, you decided to search the woods nearby to make sure there wasn't another camp set up. You had done three sweeps so far, each time getting a bit deeper into the trees when you felt a presence. You couldn't explain how you knew or even what direction it was in but someone was definitely watching you. Rather than look around, you kept on walking at the same pace but tried to quiet your steps so you could listen for sounds around you. Sure enough, after a minute, you heard one heavy footstep but then silence. You thought about your options, you could either run back to the Lodge or turn and face them. You knew you were one hell of a shot but if there was a group of people, you'd be toast. 

You decided to try heading back to the Lodge; you were quite far but hoped whoever was following you wouldn't try anything until you got closer. Every so often, you would hear a snap of a twig or a rustle of leaves and you knew now that it was coming from multiple locations at your rear. This was definitely trouble. 

Keeping close to the trees, you tried to avoid giving them a clear sight of you but when you came to a clearing, you had to cross it. It would look suspicious if you suddenly went the other way. At the very least, you had to cross it quickly so you pretended to check your watch and then jogged across the clearing, hoping to appear casual. 

It wasn't until you felt a sting in your thigh that you realized your mistake. You should have run as fast as you could but you got cocky, thinking you could outsmart them. Now the trees around you were shifting shapes and the white dots in front of your eyes were getting bigger. You tried to grab your radio from your side but everything went black before your fingers could grasp it. 

\--- 

"Finally decided to wake up, huh?" you heard the woman's voice say before you could adjust you vision to see her. 

When she finally came into focus, you recognized her as Tammy Barnes. The Project may not have been able to track her and Eli down but you were all aware of what they looked like. You assessed your surroundings before you decided to speak. The room was barren with only the chair you were strapped to, which was in the middle of a kiddie pool filled with water. Wires led from the pool to an electrical box next to it. 

"Did I sleep through breakfast?" you asked sarcastically, knowing it wouldn't matter how you talked to her. She was going to end up frying you either way. 

"Oh, your days of pancakes and bacon are over, sweetling. You're going to die one way or another but how painfully you go is entirely up to you. If you tell me what I need to know, then I'll shoot you between the eyes. If not..." 

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Might as well just dive right into it then cause I'm not talking." 

"They all say that," she grinned as she walked over to her machine and turned a knob. "I'll start it on low to see what your pain tolerance is and then we'll go from there. Sound okay to you?" 

You stared at her with a smile, egging her on. You knew this wasn't going to be fun and honestly, you knew there was no escaping. The faster it was over, the better. Her grin disappeared when she saw your expression and her hand flew up quickly to the switch, sending a current of electricity through your body. You gritted your teeth as your body convulsed. Waves of unspeakable pain coursed through you for what felt like hours, though you were sure it was only a minute. Finally she turned the switch back. 

"Anything you'd like to say?" she asked. 

"How the hell am I supposed to tell you when I don't even know what you want. You're not too good at this are you?" 

"I want to know where the deputy is," she said, ignoring your comment. 

"Ah yes, she's a hot topic right now. She wasn't too hard to bring in either... she didn't even know I was hunting her," you said proudly. 

"Bullshit," she spat but then she looked off at the far wall like she was deep in thought. "Eli will want to see you." 

With that, she left the room without another word. When you were sure she was gone, you forced your head back, trying to suppress the tears that threatened to surface.


	27. Chapter 27

"In there," Tammy said outside the door. 

You looked up to see Eli walk in with Tammy at his heels. He stopped a couple feet away from you and looked you over, seeming to study every detail. 

"This is much easier if you cooperate," he said softly. "My friend here may want to cause you some unnecessary pain but I'll see your freedom restored if you give us back the deputy. I think that's a fair trade." 

You stared at him but didn't speak, not sure what to say. He seemed much more reasonable than his present company that your mind started racing with ways to get out of here. You wondered if lying enough to get out and then trying for an escape would work but decided not to try just yet. 

"I know you don't want to betray your leader, or maybe you do but you're scared of the implications. Let's start with your answer to that, hmm?" he asked. 

"I would never betray Jake," you said, unable to keep quiet any longer. 

"Jake?" Tammy questioned the nickname, glancing over at Eli. 

He was busy staring down at your chest. You were about to call him a pervert but he reached down and grabbed your rabbit's foot before you could. You squirmed in your restrains, trying to get him to drop it. 

"Look familiar?" Eli asked Tammy. She nodded. He turned his attention back to you. "What exactly is your relationship with Jacob?" 

"Let's just say that I'm close enough to him that if you kill me, he'll track every last one of you down and hang you roadside for all of your friends to see," you spat back. 

"Oh darlin, you're in deep aren't you?" he sighed. "Tammy, I don't want her hurt. Set her up in a room somewhere."

"But..." she started but Eli had left, not giving her an option to fight back. 

She watched the door until his footsteps faded and then turned back to you, staring at your necklace as she spoke, "Well, Jacob's slut hmm? I'd love to record this and give him a show but apparently that'll have to wait." 

\---

After awhile, Tammy had a couple people come in to assist her while she moved you to a small room with nothing but a mattress on the floor. She handcuffed you to a nearby grate in the wall, giving you only enough room to move around your bed. 

"You'll be allowed out for a bathroom break occasionally but that's it. Eli will be back to see you soon. I suggest you think of what you're going to say to him and it better be good." 

You rolled your eyes at her when she closed the door behind you and locked the bolt. You sat for a moment, waiting for your next guest but then suddenly felt exhausted again. You laid back for only a moment before your eyes closed against your will and you drifted off. 

\---

You weren't sure what time it was but you woke to the sound of the door opening. When you peered up, you saw Eli come in quickly and close the door behind him. He had brought a chair in with him to sit on. 

"Are you hungry?" he asked. 

You shook your head. Truthfully, you weren't feeling the best all of a sudden. Eli took a seat in front of your as you pulled yourself up to sit against the wall. 

"Let me just start by saying this... I know that most people in the Project are decent people. A lot have joined out of fear or worse. Perhaps that was you at one point, maybe you didn't have a choice. I'm not here to judge you or your decisions but what Jacob does is not a reflection on you. I want us to start with a clean slate. Agree?" 

"Sure, whatever you want," you said, trying to hurry him out so you could lay down again. 

"Are you in a relationship with Jacob?" he asked. You nodded, not seeing a reason to lie. He nodded back, having known the answer already. "Tammy said you were the one who tracked the deputy. I'm sorry if I'm skeptical but could you tell me where you were when you found her?" 

You leaned your head back against the wall and took a deep breath before you spoke, "It was outside the radar station. She killed all our people before I got there. I watched her for hours while she paraded around with my friends' blood soaking her clothes, not caring for the human life she snuffed out. Does that sound about right?" 

"You captured her there?" he asked, poking for more details. 

"No, she left on foot. I followed her into the woods for awhile." 

"Impressive," he said. "Here we thought it was a much larger group that had captured her rather than one apparently skilled hunter. Is she still alive?" 

You closed your eyes then and pushed your head back further into the concrete wall, trying to shake the feeling that was working its way through your stomach and up your throat. 

"I need a bucket," you said quickly as you held a hand over your mouth. 

Eli shook his head and asked you the same question, thinking you were bullshitting to avoid answering it. When he refused to help, you let the feeling take over and pushed to your knees, vomiting on the far end of the mattress. It continued until there was nothing but bile left to spit out. You sat back and leaned into the wall, sweat coating your face and neck as your body began to shake. 

"Hold on," Eli said as he ran out. 

When he returned, he had a younger man with him and Tammy. They unlocked the handcuffs and helped stand you up, sitting you on the chair Eli had brought in with him. 

"It's just the after effects of the electricity," Tammy explained. 

The memory of her torture resurfaced, bringing a phantom pain through your body. You refused to go back into that room, no matter what you had to do. 

"No, it's not," you said between heavy breaths. When you were satisfied their eyes were on you, you lifted your head to face them and continued, "I'm pregnant." 

It was a lie of course but with you battling this stomach bug, it might just work out for you. You weren't sure about Tammy but Eli seemed like a reasonable person; surely he wouldn't torture a pregnant woman. 

"Jacob's?" Tammy asked in shock. 

"Of course," you rasped. 

Eli glared over at Tammy who reminded him there was no way she could have known that. 

"She's lying, she's got to be," the other man chimed in. 

"Perhaps. Please forgive me for not giving you the benefit of the doubt but we have to be sure," he told you before he looked back to Tammy. "Please get our guest some clean sheets and find a pregnancy test. I don't want anyone laying a finger on her until we know for sure." 

Shit, you thought to yourself. You definitely weren't expecting that.


	28. Chapter 28

After the fake bombshell you dropped on him, Eli was very accommodating. He made sure your mattress was clean and that you were provided with clean sheets and a pillow. You were given water and some dry toast to help settle your stomach and a bucket was left on the edge of your mattress. 

You were left to sleep until the next morning which you were thankful for since the nausea didn't go away all night and your sleep was broken even though you were tired. You really hoped this flu would go away soon so you could start to plan your escape. 

When you woke the next morning, another woman came in to get you and take you to the bathroom. The man from last night followed behind with a gun pointed at your head, even when you got to the toilet. 

"Oh, seriously? Can you not watch me while I piss please?" you asked him but he shook his head. 

The woman who escorted you in instructed you to wait while she opened a box and fished out a pregnancy stick from inside. You had prayed they wouldn't go through with this but alas, here you were. You decided you'd just play stupid when the test came back negative or claim something happened when you were electrocuted. Either way, you knew they wouldn't buy it but you had no choice but to go along with this. 

You grabbed the test from her hands and sat on the toilet, covering yourself as much as you could from your captors' eyes. 

"Here," you said, pushing the test towards them when you were done and pulling your pants back up. Thankfully they gave you time to wash your hands after. 

When you were brought back to the room and handcuffed again, they both walked out without another word. You searched the room desperately, trying to find anything you could use to pick the lock but ultimately, you came up short. They had done one hell of a job stripping this room of anything dangerous. 

You leaned back and pushed every thought of Jacob or your friends out of your mind and chose to count the tiles on the floor instead. When you had done that at least ten times, the door opened and Eli walked in with a young man with braids who was carrying a radio. 

"I'm sorry for everything that has been done to you so far, truly. This stress is not good for anyone, let alone someone in your condition," he rattled on. You stared at him blankly, wondering why he was going along with your lie. Maybe he didn't have the test results back yet. He continued, "I don't want to be responsible for anything happening to your child, so we need to find a way to compromise. We're going to send out a radio transmission for Jacob and ask him to exchange the deputy for you." 

You let out a low laugh, "He won't do it. Joseph wants her to atone... Jacob won't go against him, you and I both know that." 

"Maybe not for you but for your child... surely he would. Does he know yet?" 

"No," you said. This whole thing was getting ridiculous. Part of you just wanted to tell him the truth and get your death out of the way quicker than dragging it on like this. You had hoped he would just let you go but looking back, that thought was a dumb one. Of course he wouldn't. 

"Okay, well I hope you won't be too angry with me but I'm breaking the news," he said as his friend picked up the radio and tuned it, pushing the side button and nodding to Eli. 

"Jacob Seed, this is your old buddy Eli. We've spoken on this frequency before and I'm sure you've been wondering why I don't chat more often but I also know you must listen for me occasionally, so pick up." 

You all waited for a long moment before he repeated the transmission three more times. Finally, you heard a voice on the other end. 

"Ahh, Eli. Ready to hand over your Whitetails are we?" he purred into the radio. Your heart stopped at the sound of his voice. 

"You know the answer to that. But I have to ask, are you missing someone?" 

Silence hung in the air for awhile before Jacob came back. This time, there was venom in his voice, "Where is she?" 

"She's here. Don't worry... We've been listening to her radio and know how much you've missed her. Rest assured, your 'pup' is safe," Eli replied, smiling at you when you pulled at your handcuffs. "Now, it seems to me that you might not be aware of her circumstances though. Shall I put her on so she can tell you herself?" 

"If you lay one finger on her, I will burn down every building until I find you..." Jacob growled before Eli cut him off. 

"Always with the anger. You Seeds are all the same. Darlin, say hello to your boyfriend for me please." 

His friend held the radio out to you but it was just out of reach. He pressed the button again and nodded to you to speak. 

"Jake, the deputy is more important right now. Don't come for me," you said weakly. 

"No, no... Tell him your news. I'm sure he'll want to know this," Eli instructed. You shook your head and pressed your lips firmly together, letting him know you wouldn't speak again. "Well, I guess I'll be the one to congratulate you papa. Looks like there's a new Seed on the way." 

"Let me talk to her. Alone," Jacob said without acknowledging Eli's announcement. 

"That won't be happening. So if you want to see her or your unborn child at any..." 

"It's a lie, Jacob!" you yelled, interrupting Eli. You didn't want him buying into this crap. 

Eli turned to you and gave you a confused look. His accomplice still held the transmit button, catching your conversation. 

"You were trying to lie your way out of here..." 

"Of course I was. It's not my fault that you're all so fucking gullible." 

Eli gave you a look of pity and reached into his back pocket, pulling out your pregnancy test and setting it down in front of you. You stared at the pink cross in the window of the test. 

"In case you're wondering what's happening, I just provided our guest with the pregnancy test we asked her to provide to us this morning. So again... congratulations to you both," Eli announced. 

"Pup..." Jacob said quietly. 

"I... I didn't know," you stammered, rocked by the news you had been presented. 

"I'll give you the deputy but I need her back unharmed," Jacob said calmly. You yelled for him not to but he ignored you. "We'll meet at the Landsdowne Airstrip in an hour. If anyone from your side pulls a gun, your deputy is as good as dead, understand?" 

"Same for your girl," Eli said. 

No one said anything else. Eli told you he would be back for you shortly to get you and left you alone with your thoughts. 

You looked down at the test on the floor in front of you, trying to find an explanation for it other than the one that stared you in the face. Before you could stop yourself, a tiny sob came from your throat but it caused the dam to break and you gave in, weeping loudly as you held your arms around yourself.


	29. Chapter 29

You stood handcuffed on the airstrip with Eli and a dozen of his people behind him. You were surprised that he had taken you himself but decided it was a move any good leader would make. So when Jacob showed up alone with the deputy, you weren't surprised either. 

He had a calm expression on his face until he saw you and then his expression broke slightly before he pulled himself together again. 

"I know your people are here," Eli said as he swept his vision through the trees that surrounded you. 

"I didn't say they weren't," Jacob said back casually. "Send her over." 

You watched as he unlocked the cuffs from the deputy's wrists and pushed her forward a foot while still holding a hand on the collar of the back of her shirt. Eli did the same before he nodded to Jacob. 

"If you try anything, you'll be dead before you can celebrate," Eli warned Jacob who held his hands up in surrender as a response. 

You and the deputy inspected one another as you each took a step, mirroring one another's movements. When you sped up, she did the same until you crossed paths and casually strolled to your allies even though all you wanted to do was run. Ah yes, she was just as stubborn as you apparently. 

Jacob placed a hand on your shoulder and led you away without a second glance behind you so you forced yourself to do the same. If you were Eli, you would have taken your shot by now but maybe his self preservation was more important. You guessed you would have to wait to meet up with him again to find out. 

\--- 

"Did they hurt you," Jacob asked as soon as you got in the truck. He had his hand on your chin, turning your face from side to side, inspecting you. 

"No," you lied, not wanting to worry him. "You shouldn't have traded her. She's too important." 

"I would never let you rot in there," he said as he dropped his hand and ran it over your leg. "I never stopped searching for you..." 

"I know you did," you said as you reached up and stroked his cheek, elated to be able to touch him again. "I'm so sorry, Jake." 

He straightened up and looked down at your stomach with a strained look before he leaned over and grabbed the back of your head and pressed against your lips with his. When he pulled back, he brushed the hair out of your face and told you he was taking you home. Neither of you talked about the obvious elephant in the room but you figured that could wait until you were back at the Center. 

\---

"They had me blindfolded, I couldn't see where they were holed up," you said as you paced Jacob's bedroom. 

"That's not important," he said from his seat on the edge of the bed. 

As you paced past him again, he grabbed your hand and pulled you to him, bringing you to stand between his open legs. He placed a hand on your stomach and looked up at you. 

"I don't want to talk about it," you told him. 

"We have to," he reasoned with you. You noticed he was taking this much better than you were. 

"No, let me live in denial for a little longer," you said. He dropped his hand and looked up at you defeated. "How can I possibly be a mother right now?" 

"You'll be strong and face it head on like you do with everything else," he said. 

"And you're okay with this?" you asked him. You honestly expected him to freak the fuck out by now but he was being beyond calm that it was actually scaring you. He nodded and pulled you closer.

"You are full of surprises, aren't you?" You sighed and leaned over until your chin rested on his head. "I don't want to raise our child in a god damned war zone." 

"It'll all be gone soon anyway," he said quietly, referencing Joseph's prediction for the future. 

"Even if he's right... then we raise it in a bunker? And then after? I can't do this, it's madness." 

He pulled back from you and pushed to his feet, knocking you back a bit as he stood. His face was no longer as calm as it was and his voice was shaky when he spoke, "I'm not letting anything happen to it." 

"I didn't mean... Jake, I would never..." you tried to explain but he was already headed for the door, leaving you alone once again.

\---

You spent the rest of the day between running to the bathroom and crying curled up on Jacob's bed. You were so overwhelmed by everything and you just wanted him here to comfort you but now you had to deal with his anger on top of everything. 

Finally after a couple of hours, you radioed Jacob but he didn't respond. You knew he was still pissed. You debated what to do but knew you needed to calm down and not let the stress get to you, if not for you than for the new life growing inside of you. You placed a hand on your stomach and sighed, knowing you needed out of here to regroup. You wrote a quick note to Jacob and packed a small bag. You knew you'd feel better once you got to the chalet and saw your friends again.


	30. Chapter 30

"What are you going to do?" Naomi asked from her bed as she glanced over at you sitting across from her. 

"I don't know. I've honestly never been more stressed in my entire life. I would never think to... I mean, obviously I'm going to have the baby, regardless of what that means after they're born." 

"You need to tell Jacob that when he calms down. He's just being protective like he always is," she reassured you. 

You nodded and stared down at the floor when you replied, "I'm terrified they'll be as fucked up as Jake and I. Or what they'll think of us when they get old enough... How can I explain all of this?" 

Naomi left her bed and sat next to you, holding an arm around you. She laid her face on your shoulder and told you not to worry about that right now and that everything would work out. Even though you appreciated her words, you just couldn't see how it would. 

"He's going to be mad that I left..." you said, realizing now that you hadn't made the right decision after all. 

"He knows where you are. Let him come to you when he's ready. In the meantime, I'm going to look after you while you rest up. Get some sleep and I'll be back in a bit." 

You smiled and laid back as she pulled the blanket over you and gave you some space. Before you knew it, you were drifting off again. 

\---

When you finally woke, it was just turning dark. Naomi was leaving the room when you called her back. 

"Sorry, I didn't want to wake you. I brought supplies," she said happily as she carried the tray back to your nightstand. 

She had a huge glass of water, a bowl of soup and buttered bread and a big bag of sour lemon candies.

"My sister suffered with the worst morning sickness... she was kind of like you, it lasted most of the day. The only thing that helped her were sour candies, oddly enough. I thought it might be worth a try," she explained when she saw your puzzled look. 

"I'll try anything at this point," you told her, happy for any remedy. 

"If not, we can also try a bit of ginger tea. I can run you a bath too... I know it can't be too hot but a warm one with some epsom salts would help. I'm sure you're sore." 

"Good grief, you may as well be a registered midwife at this point," you said, laughing for the first time in a couple days. 

"We have a lot of babies in my family. But speaking of which... you'll need to make an appointment with the midwife in the Valley, she's the best. You and Jacob can go to the ultrasound together." 

You groaned at the thought of that; you and Jacob sitting in the office, happily staring at your baby on the screen while you're both strapped to the hilt with weapons. Maybe Joseph and John would be there too. Hell, John could make a nice tapestry for the nursery from all the skin he collected.

"Okay, maybe we're not there yet but you need to go. I'll go with you and we won't tell Jacob unless you want to," she said as she patted your shoulder and told you she'd be downstairs. 

You ate your meal happily when she left, you were absolutely starving even though your stomach was still queasy. After the soup, you popped a couple candies and surprisingly, they helped. You weren't instantly cured but it subsided enough for you to feel like walking around again. 

You made your way downstairs to hear Naomi's voice, explaining you needed to stay as calm as possible and that stress was not to be an issue for you right now. You peeked around the corner to see who she was talking to, upset that she was telling your secret already but calmed down when you saw his red hair from behind. You stood there until Naomi noticed you and excused herself. Jacob turned to you but didn't move. 

"What are you doing?" you asked. 

"You don't belong here. You should be back home with me," he said matter-of-factly.

"I needed some space," you told him. "I don't want to argue with you." 

"I won't argue, pup. We'll do whatever you want." 

You crossed the room to him and stood looking up at him, letting out a long sigh. "I didn't mean what you thought I meant. I would never do that, I'm just scared." 

"I know," he said and wrapped an arm around your shoulders. "Can we go to the cabin for a bit?" 

"I'd like that," you told him, knowing it would only be a couple hours but the distraction would be good for you both. 

\---

Jacob insisted on taking the truck even though you told him you were feeling better and could walk. When you pulled up to the cabin, he helped you out of the truck and inside. You made a mental note to tell him tomorrow that you weren't some fragile little thing for him to wait on. 

Inside, Jacob got you to sit on the bed while he lit candles and locked the door. He sat next to you when he was done. 

"It'll be okay," you said, more for yourself than for him. 

"It will," he agreed. 

You leaned over and kissed him, softly at first but then with more force, pushing him back to the bed. Once he was on his back, you climbed on top of him and ground your hips against his slowly. 

"Easy," he scolded you. 

"I haven't even done anything yet!"

Jacob gave you an annoyed look and set you down on the bed to lay on your back. He slowly stripped you from the waist down and told you to relax as he pushed his face between your legs, lapping at you gently with his tongue. You did as he asked and laid back, enjoying the softness of the pillows and of course, the heat that was now building up inside of you. 

"This okay?" he asked as he inserted a finger, rubbing it along the inside of you softly. 

"Oh my God, Jacob... I'm not going to break," you said in exasperation. 

He flashed you a look but then you felt him slip in a second finger and his movement became a bit harder, much to your delight. He continued to flick at your clit slowly but the speed of his fingers increased. Everything was so sensitive right now that it heightened every one of his movements. 

"Close?" he asked without looking back up. 

"Very..." you panted back, not able to finish your thought before you felt a wave of pleasure spread through your body. You moaned loudly as Jacob slowed his movements before stopping all together. 

"Come here, you," you commanded as you pulled him up to you. 

He stopped when he was finally kneeling between your legs and pulled his shirt off. 

"Take them off nice and slow," you said as you ran a hand down his stomach and nodded to his jeans.

"You had your moment now spread so I can can have mine," he said as he tugged his pants off. 

"I like when you're bossy," you smirked back at him.

He didn't respond but pushed your legs apart when you refused to and settled on top of you. You noticed he wasn't putting as much weight on you as he normally would but he was being a tad rougher than he had been, which you were grateful for. When he finally slid into you, you gasped at the feeling of him, things were definitely more sensitive in that area. He moaned back in response as he pulled all the way out and then thrust into you again. You pushed your hips up to meet him the next time he slid back and pushed your fingers against his back, forcing him to pick up speed. 

"I don't want you out of my sights again, understand?" he growled into your ear. "Let me protect you." 

"I will, I'm sorry," you panted as he finally quickened his pace and rocked against you at the best possible angle. 

"Promise me," he ordered as he thrust in harder, hitting your g-spot roughly. You felt your muscles start to tense again under him. 

"I promise, Jake. I promise... just please don't stop," you begged. 

He grunted against your shoulder as he bit down hard, bringing a surprised gasp from your lips. The feeling of him inside of you and the sting from your shoulder blended into a perfect mix, finally bringing you to your peak. You squeezed your thighs against him and held him tighter than you had ever done before. He reciprocated but wrapping an arm around your back and pulling you off the bed slightly and into his chest as he came. He felt him quiver a bit and then relax against you without resting his full weight on top of you. 

That's when it dawned on you. This baby wasn't even the size of your fist yet and he was already protecting it, so careful not to hurt them or you. You knew that would never change, no matter what else happened in life. Jacob would love it as fiercely as he loved you and you would do the same. So no matter the mistakes you had both made in your lives, at least you would do that right. 

You looked back at Jacob for a long while, just taking in the warmth that was now in his eyes. It hadn't been there when you first met him; at that time, there was nothing but anger and control. He had little respect for anyone or anything that wasn't his family and you understood perfectly why he didn't. But you supposed now that you were his family and even though that should frighten you, it made you happier than you could ever imagine.


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tiny, tiny little chapter... Just thought it should be its own. Another update is on the way shortly! (Thanks again everyone for the feedback 😘)

"I should go grab my stuff before we head back," you told Jacob who nodded and started the engine to his truck. 

"You can leave it in my room," he said with a flash of a smile. 

"Aww, are you asking me to move in with you Red?" you teased, poking him in the ribs a couple times, forcing him to squirm against your finger. 

"I told you I'm not letting you out of my sight... for the rest of your life."

"Oooh! We could get those buddy band things that people wear on those wacky gameshows. We'll be handcuffed to one another... Going to the bathroom might be hard but..." you trailed off as a sudden rumble cut through the night air. 

Jacob slowed the truck a bit and you both scanned the area before you heard a second explosion. This time you saw the flames up ahead of you. 

"Is that coming from... Oh my God, Jake.." 

He laid his foot to the gas pedal and flew back to the chalet in enough time to watch it crumble to the ground. Fire and sparks were flying everywhere, lighting up the darkness of the sky. You both jumped out of the truck and towards the chalet, scanning the area for survivors. 

"No, no, no, no, no..." you chanted as you continued to search. 

Something finally caught your eye: two figures and a canine running back towards the woods. You recognized one as the deputy, even from this distance. You were sprinting after them before you even realized you should, bringing your hunting knife - the only weapon you had on you - out and readying it to slash her throat at the first chance. Jacob yelled after you but you didn't give him a second thought, darting between the trees and weaving in and out of the path as you went. When you finally broke out of the forest and onto the road, you watched in horror as the deputy and her hooded companion loaded into a truck and sped off. You chased them for a minute but then gave in to the fact that you would never catch them. 

"Fucking cunt!" you screamed, dropping to your knees and pounding your fists into the dirt repeatedly, "Fuck!" 

When Jacob finally caught up to you, you were pushing around the dirt below your hands, raking through with desperation. He knelt beside you and held an arm around your shoulder, urging you to stand. 

"They're all gone," you said between the sobs that rocked through your body. 

"I'll bring her back. We'll make her pay for this, you and I together..." 

You looked up at Jacob and nodded, knowing he'd let you be the one to finish her.


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, my friends... this story is coming to a close. One more chapter after this and it'll be done. Thanks to everyone who stuck around and read all of it and to everyone who gave me suggestions and ultimately helped me make the right choice for our little couple. I apologize ahead of time for this chapter...

"You play that song and she does whatever you want?" you asked in shock when Jacob explained how he planned on delivering the deputy to you. 

"It's classical conditioning," he said simply. 

"That's fucked... impressive, but fucked." 

"Glad you approve," he grinned as he finally pulled into the Veteran's Center. "I want you to try to get some sleep. I'll take care of this and bring her back." 

"Are you sending her for Eli first?" you asked, kind of hoping he would say no. As much as the Whitetails were your enemies, he had been kind to you, even before he knew of your pregnancy. The thought of him dying in such a terrible way made your heart hurt slightly. 

"Yes. But then she'll pay for what she did to our family. Rest up." 

When you headed inside, Jacob went the opposite way from you. You were tempted to follow but decided you needed time alone. Your tears had dried up on the way home and were now replaced with a burning anger deep in your belly. You had never wanted to hurt anyone in your life but now all you could think of was making this deputy suffer. Jacob had been reasonable enough to let her go and the first thing she did was... you stopped yourself, you couldn't allow yourself to think about that right now. But it wasn't only your friends, you reminded yourself as you placed a palm over your tummy. If Jacob hadn't come to get you, she would have taken away something far more important. 

You threw one of Jacob's chairs against the wall and screamed until your throat was raw and then forced yourself to lay in a fetal position on the bed. You calmed yourself by thinking of everything you would do to her when she was captured. The thoughts calmed you in the most disturbing way and soon enough, your body gave into the exhaustion it felt and you fell asleep. 

\---

You were woken a couple of hours later by Jacob pulling you out of bed and up to your feet. His hand was around your wrist as he ran down the hall with you on his heels. 

"What's going on?" you yelled as he led you through the people who were now running between rooms, gathering their belongings. 

"Bombs," he said while he kept his pace. "We need to get to the bunker." 

You were too terrified to ask anything else as he pushed you towards the truck and hopped in, speeding off before you even had your door closed. 

"They just hit the southern states, everything is wiped out. It's close... The blast radius..." he trailed off as he concentrated on the road. 

Finally, you saw his armory in the distance. You breathed a sigh of relief just as the ground shook, rocking the truck on its axles. Jacob didn't stop for a minute, speeding faster to the bunker. You turned to look out the back window and gasped when you saw the sight of dark smoke and fire behind you. 

"When I stop, you run... no matter what, don't turn around. Do you hear me?" he yelled over to you. When he looked over to you, you nodded, unable to speak. "Go as far into the bunker as you can and instruct whoever is at the doors to close them. You go, even if it's without me." 

"Jake, no..." 

"Promise me!" he yelled again. 

"I won't leave you!" you yelled back, not wanting to think of life without him. 

"Jesus, listen to me for once in your life. You need to protect our child. Promise me!" He said, panicked as he pulled up in front of the bunker and put the truck in park. 

You both jumped out and raced to the bunker doors. You did as he asked and screamed to the guard on the door to seal it up as you passed through, not looking back. You ran through the concrete tunnels and staircases, deeper and deeper into the bunker. All you could think of in that moment was your child. Jacob was right.. you knew you had to get to safety. 

People pushed and shoved past you, everything becoming a blur of scared and crying faces. People clung to one another or called out for their loved ones. Everywhere you looked, it was the same... everyone was as scared as you were. 

When you finally got to the lower level, you collapsed on the floor. The shock of everything had finally hit you and brought you to your knees. The realization that Joseph was right this entire time and that he had been trying to save these people. And now, life as you knew it was over. Everything was gone. Not that you had a lot but your friends were gone, your home... Jacob was... 

You stood quickly and spun around, searching for him but only seeing his followers frantically running around you. You pushed past them, yelling for him as you went, desperate to find him. You rushed into rooms, searching every inch of the place. When you were convinced he wasn't on the same level as you, you headed up a flight of stairs, asking everyone you met if they had seen him to which they all gave you the same answer. Tears were collecting on your cheeks now as you screamed for him but everywhere you went, he was nowhere to be found. 

"Please," you wailed as you dropped to your knees. "Please... don't take him from me. Please God, please." 

You leaned back on your thighs and stared ahead, waiting for some miracle... for him to come running to you like he always did. He was always supposed to be there to protect you, he had always found a way. You waited a bit longer but the trail of people had thinned with everyone now on the lower level. You knelt in the middle of the empty hallway, alone now... still waiting but knowing something wasn't right. 

You curled up into yourself, letting the pain wash over you as the voices of panicked people rose from downstairs.


	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally... the last chapter. Hopefully everyone enjoys it.
> 
> If anyone has some suggestions for another story I could write, let me know! I love writing them but I'm having a terrible time coming up with an initial and original concept. 
> 
> Thanks again for reading. It makes me happier than you'll ever know! ♥️

It had been three and a half years since the day of the bombing and life proceeded slowly below the earth. No one really knew what it looked like above or for how long you would need to stay down here but Joseph assured you he would get a sign when it was time. 

He and John had survived the blast but unfortunately, their sister wasn't as lucky. Faith had been preaching at a shrine far from her bunker and wasn't able to make it back in time. Joseph mourned her for a good amount of time. His weekly radio sermons were spent respecting her memory but as time passed, so did his mourning. There were talks that he had found a new Faith but that hadn't been confirmed yet. 

John however, was fortunate enough to be in his bunker at the time as well. He helped with the sermons but you weren't too sure what he was up to now that his task of atonement was taken away from him. He checked in from time to time and always with happiness in his voice but you could never be certain if it was real or not. Still, you entertained him by conversing for awhile, sometimes out of pity but mostly boredom. 

Things had settled in the bunker and once the initial shock of what had happened had died, people were assigned daily tasks and jobs. Everyone pitched in and life was peaceful for a change. The people who had joined the Project against their wills had now come around, grateful to have their lives. 

You spent most of your time writing, wanting to preserve every moment of your life and what the world was like before it was taken away from you. You wanted your son to grow up knowing even a small part of history that you could remember. When you weren't writing, your days were spent with the flock; the followers had turned to you for guidance and you helped to lead them and offer advice when you could. No, your life hadn't ended up the way you had envisioned it but you were happier than you deserved to be. 

\---

"Mommy, mommy," you woke to see a tiny hand forcing your eye open. "Wake up." 

You groaned, wanting a little more sleep. "Joshua, come lay down with mommy okay? I'm sleepy. Aren't you sleepy too?" 

He shook his head fiercely back and forth, letting his red hair settle in a mess on the top of his head. You reached over and pulled him to you in a bear hug, forcing him to lay down and pulling the covers over you both. 

"You're trapped now, kiddo. Cuddle with me." 

You watched as he thought it over and then finally rested against your chest, letting you run a hand through his hair in an attempt to tame it. You squeezed his tiny body to yours, enjoying every second of your cuddle. Now that he was a rambunctious toddler, you didn't get many of them anymore. 

"Love you, peanut," you whispered against his hair. 

"Wuv youuu!" he proclaimed loudly, bouncing out of your arms again and jumping to the floor, whipping his arms from side to side with all his pent up energy. 

"You hungry?" you asked, knowing you were now up for the day. 

"Yes!" he said loudly and bolted for the door. 

"No, no! Wait for me!" you yelled after him, pulling on some socks before you ran after him. 

You ran down the hall, watching him push past people as they laughed and grinned at you. You gave them a weak smile as you went, trying to keep up with him. When you turned the corner, he was being held in place. 

"Where are you off to little one?" 

"I'm hungry," Joshua replied before trying to squirm away. 

You closed the distance and stood next to them as a hand came up and smoothed down your hair. 

"You're a mess," Jacob said as you shot him a look. 

"Then perhaps you could take our son to get some cereal while I get a shower?" you asked, giving him a good morning kiss. 

"Will do," he nodded to you before he looked back at his little mini me. "Coming?" 

"Yes!" he said in his sweet little voice. He turned back to you to break the news. "Mommy, I go Daddy." 

You laughed and waved him goodbye as they walked hand and hand to the kitchen. You smiled after them, knowing that whatever reason you were put on this earth surely had to revolve around them.


End file.
